A Glimmer of Hope
by COOKIECHEESEMAN
Summary: Post-FE6 for the most part. BEWARE OF SPOILERS! Roy desperately wants to restore Idoun back to her normal self for various reasons... but as she progressively recovers, he begins to fall in love with "the real Idoun". RoyxIdoun romance, with multiple pairings, and with humour and hurt/comfort as well.
1. Chapter 1: Deserving of Life

Author's Notes

This story basically takes place post-FE6, with the exception of the first two chapters and part of chapter three. So if you haven't played through FE6 yet, you may not want to continue reading this until you finish it with the best ending. But come back eventually! (please? :p)

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Oh yeah, important information about the update schedule is located in the author's notes at the end of the chapter.

* * *

A Glimmer of Hope

Chapter 1: Deserving of Life

Striking down my foe, the last of the true dragons from the Scouring, I watch in sadness as the powerful antagonist plummets to the ground, barely breathing. Immediately running to his side, my opponent, Yahn, gives me a confused look as I call over a couple of my strongest troops; Gonzales, Dieck, and Echidna.

"Why... are you not... striking the final blow?" Yahn asks, wincing in severe pain. "You should not... keep your enemy... alive..."

"Because you don't deserve to die, despite the horrible things you did. You'll understand later. Guys, place him down on the throne. It's the fastest way he can recover."

"But Roy," Dieck interrupts, "this guy tried to kill us. He definitely deserves to die. Why are you..."

Suddenly, without warning, Gonzales lifts up Yahn without effort of any sort and places him down gently onto his throne, and I can already see Yahn beginning to recover his strength by absorbing the power of the Dragon Temple into his nearly limp body.

"He confused... like me used to be."

"You know, Dieck, the big guy has a point," Echidna says. "Let's just listen to Roy for now. He knows what he's doing. At least Gonzo already did the work for us."

She confidently goes to meet the rest of the troops, Gonzales following closely behind, and Dieck just shakes his head. "Hmph. That woman, she's... strong willed."

As Dieck runs to catch up with Echidna and Gonzales, I glance one last time at Yahn before meeting the army to plan the final attack.

Yahn, watching the entire scene, scowls in frustration as my army enters the deepest part of the temple, but as I prepare to join them, a young girl from the back, Fa, pulls me aside before leaning into my chest to cry. Yahn thinks he hears the term 'Divine Dragon' as I comfort the small girl, and when she stops crying, the two of us walk hand-in-hand into the next room with the others.

"That boy... he is a fool. I will never understand... humans. If he could not kill me..."

* * *

At the very center of the Dragon Temple, we prepare ourselves to battle the Dark Dragon, the most powerful of them all. A dragon said to be of enormous proportions with the power to create War Dragons and other creatures at will, it is sure to be a battle that we will never forget.

And yet... all we find is a young woman alone, her cloak covering her eyes so that none can truly identify her. I slowly walk up to her, placing my Sword of Seals in my scabbard as a sign of peace.

"Dark Dragon..." I begin, kneeling, "please, you have no reason to fight us..."

"Someone told me the same thing a long time ago, I believe. But now that I have been awakened... I know what I must do."

As the woman turns around to face the temple wall, I clench my teeth in frustration; I want so badly to save this girl... but if she can't listen to reason, what can I do? Deciding to try a different tactic, I walk up to her and put my hand onto her shoulder, prompting her to face me. When the two of us are eye-to-eye, I pull her hood down, and gasp.

She is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

_I know you used to be a Divine Dragon, so it's expected that you would be gorgeous, but not to this extent..._

I examine her face thoroughly, and I notice that she has heterochromia; her right eye is a bright green while her left eye is a mysterious combination of purple and pink, almost the same colour as Fa's hair. However, a strange purple aura surrounds the whites of her eyes, almost as if she's possessed. As well, her violet hair shimmers in the light of the torch-lit room, further adding to her seemingly divine appearance.

"Idoun... that was your name, correct? Please, look into my eyes," I say, placing my hands onto both of her shoulders. "If you see any trace of deceit in my eyes, we'll battle. But please, you must believe me! I don't want us to fight!"

Idoun watches me closely, and for a second, it actually looks like she's giving consideration to what I'm saying. However, after a minute, she steps back, pulls out a dark purple dragonstone, and holds it up to her face, causing the temple to shake and her cloak to billow everywhere.

Enclosing her hand around the stone, she says, "Nothing you say will make me change my actions. I have been commanded... and now, I shall fulfill those commands."

A purple aura surrounds itself around Idoun now, and as it builds itself around her, she begins to grow in size until she morphs into her true form: the Dark Dragon. A colossal creature that terrifies even the bravest of men who see her, this is what the army is afraid of; battling her.

"Everyone! Stand back!" I shout, pulling out the Sword of Seals. "I... I have to do this myself."

Shouting a war cry, I begin to swing wildly in a circle, and a wall of flame encompasses me. After charging up an enormous amount of energy, I transfer the energy into a giant flaming ball before smashing it towards Idoun at tremendous speed.

_Don't let this kill her..._

The magical blast reaches its target, trapping Idoun into a vortex of fire. As she cries out in pain, I hold my hand to my face so I don't have to witness the horrible sight. Finally, when the flame subsides, Idoun changes back into her human form, and she lays on the ground, motionless.

"I... I... Gah... I... alone... Dark... Alone... in... darkness..."

I quickly run to Idoun's side, lifting her into my arms. As her consciousness falters, I notice that the purple aura in Idoun's eyes is completely gone, and there is only one emotion written across her face...

Fear.

"Idoun... I promise I will do everything in my power to turn you back into your former self," I say reassuringly, drawing her closer to me. "Please... just let me help you..."

Before Idoun falls into the deep slumber of unconsciousness, the last thing I see in her eyes is a sort of calming, comforting peace, almost as if she understands my words.

It's a glimmer of hope for me... hope, that it just might be possible Idoun can be saved.

* * *

"Did everybody get out in time?"

I scan the ruins of the Dragon Temple; after my climatic battle with Idoun, massive amounts of energy were released into the atmosphere, and the temple just couldn't take it. As a result, it crumbled into the ground, almost taking my army and me with it. Thankfully, we were fast enough to escape before we were buried alive in the rubble.

"Everyone seems to be accounted for, Roy!" Echidna informs, double-checking her master list of units. Echidna's experience as a formal rebel leader makes her the obvious choice for attendance keeper, because before she enlisted with us, keeping track of her troops was something she was always doing. "I can't believe it. We won! We really won!"

The crowd bursts into a great cheer, happy that their efforts were not for naught, and that the world is safe.

"Oh yes, we even got Yahn out of there. Isn't that right, Gonzo?"

"Yes, me save him!" Gonzales replies, holding Yahn on his shoulders. Yahn just shrugs when his name is mentioned. "You know," Yahn says, "I still think... you are a fool... for saving me. You will regret this..."

I just shake my head at the ignorant comment. "Whatever the outcome, I still don't believe you should have died. Gonzales, leave him here. It's probably the place where he can recover the fastest. Even though the temple is gone, some energy still remains in the area. Alright group! Let's go back to Bern!"

Leaving Yahn behind at the temple ruins, we leave the premise, but before we get out of sight, Yahn calls out to us, "You still... have Idoun with you? You... kept her alive, as well? Fools... you can never... restore her soul..."

"You're one of the fiends who destroyed it in the first place!" I call back, stopping in place. "She did nothing wrong; she deserves a second chance. I want to help her..."

Gently carrying Idoun in my arms, I run ahead to catch up to the rest of the army.

"Humans... I will... never understand..."

* * *

Author's Notes

I've been writing crap lately, so I'm trying really hard to make this my best submission ever. I hope you notice an improvement.

This is a romance fic starring Roy and Idoun! (If I tried to pair someone with Fa, I'd call myself the sickest pervert on Earth... hey, Tom-Ato13, what's with the skeptical look?) Obviously, some parts of the story are changed, and the rest will be brand new. I had to look up heterochromia, in case you're curious for no reason. Oh, and congrats to Panda Master for guessing the secret couple on his second try!

I've wanted to write this story ever since I joined the site, but I never had the opportunity to start it until now. There's a special detail that makes it really unique and appealing for me to try, but I'll reveal that later. Enjoy guys! Don't be afraid to speak up about things; opinions, confusion, speculating, happy things, and all that.

AH YES! The update schedule. Well, this is the first time I've started submitting my story _before_ it was finished. In reality, it is not even close to done; I have about four chapters done by now, and I have no idea how long it will end up. I plan to update on a (hopefully) weekly basis until I don't have a completed chapter to submit; after that, I'll just update whenever possible.

The reason I'm starting the submission process so early is 100% paranoia; I want to get my foot in the door before someone else thinks of the idea and submits it. Yep. That's it. Pretty lame excuse if you ask me, but whatever.


	2. Chapter 2: Injustices

Chapter 2: Injustices

Our army arrives at Bern in a couple nights time, and here is where we disband to go back to our own homes, whether they be Etruria, the Western Isles, Nabata, Ilia, Sacae, or Lycia, although some will stay in Bern as well. I myself should be returning to Lycia, the country of my home, Pherae, but I wish to personally go to Nabata with some of the others instead. The city of Arcadia, located in Nabata, is a place where dragons and humans live peacefully together, and I believe that if there's one place where Idoun can recover, it's there.

Still carrying Idoun's slumbering form, I march on with the other people heading to Nabata: Igraine, protector of the desert, and her long-lost husband Astol, the former spy of Ostia; Sophia, a half-human half-dragon who can foresee danger, although a murky prediction at best; and Fa, a real Divine Dragon girl like Idoun, except much younger and more childlike. We should reach our destination within a week now, and considering that Nabata is on the opposite end of Elibe, we're making good time.

"Fa likes walking outside!" says Fa cheerfully; she has the habit of referring to herself in the third person. "Fa is excited that Prince Roy is coming with us! It's fun to be with friends!"

"Ha ha, I'm glad to be with you too. I just want to make sure Idoun is okay before I go back home, though." Glancing down at Idoun, I smile to myself, saying to Fa, "she sure is a heavy sleeper, isn't she?"

"I guess so. Oh look, flowers!" Noticing some bright red roses, Fa runs off to examine them, and when she's out of sight, I stop to wait for her, and I look down again at Idoun, except this time with grief. In reality, I have no idea whether Idoun will wake up at all. She may be alive, but after having her soul destroyed long ago and withstanding a fully charged attack from the Sword of Seals recently, I'm not sure what the outcome will be. I just hope the Arcadian elder, a dragon himself, can restore her.

_You didn't deserve any of this... I hope you wake up..._

* * *

The group of us finally make it to Arcadia, and I immediately set up a meeting with the village elder to discuss the matter about Idoun. She still hasn't woken up, but she seems perfectly healthy otherwise, peacefully sleeping for whoever's watching over her at the time, which is almost always myself.

The elder examines Idoun with attention; listening to her heartbeat, feeling for her pulse, checking her bones for any sort of break or fracture; but it seems that he cannot find any specific reasoning as to why she isn't waking up either.

"Well Roy, I don't know what to tell you," the elder says, scratching his head in thought. "The only thing I can do is attempt to restore her soul... and hope she wakes up."

"That's all I ask. Thank you very much. I'll try to return as soon as possible, but with my new duties, it may be a long time..."

As I reluctantly exit the room, the elder calls me back for a second, and when the two of us are beside each other again, the elder places a large gem into my hand; Idoun's dragonstone.

"Take care of this. We don't want it falling into the wrong hands."

I don't particularly understand the urgency of keeping the stone with me; I know only Idoun can use it anyway; but I take the stone regardless, replying, "alright then. I'll keep it with me for the time being. Take care."

Leaving the room once again, I take one last longing gaze at Idoun's sleeping form before finally going to my guest room and prepare for my departure, but before I get there, I'm stopped by Sophia, looking at me glumly.

"Roy..." she starts, moving closer to me, "you're worried about her, aren't you?"

Nodding my head in approval, I reply, "Yes, very much so."

"Is this... to do with your mother?"

Sophia hit the nail on the head with that comment. "Of course it is, Sophia... my mother died because of unjust circumstances, just like Idoun might. Plus, everything bad that's happened with this war is because of injustice in one form or another. Cath had to resort to becoming a thief. Garret became a bandit. And that's only the beginning..."

_It's just so stupid... even though the war has ended, there are still problems..._

"I... just want some good news for once," I say, hugging Sophia. Sophia immediately returns the embrace to try and cheer me up; she knows I am a very empathic person, able to understand the pain of others easily; a trait doubly inherited from both my mother and father. And while I have the ability to hide it, the events of the war have actually been very hard on me, and so to be able to confide in Sophia, who is always willing to listen, is comforting.

"Don't worry, Roy... when you return, it will be a joyous occasion..."

* * *

A couple of weeks later, on official business, I travel around Etruria to finalize peace negotiations; even though Etruria and Lycia worked together during the war, Etruria's involvement with Bern and the dismantling of their government has made it difficult to resolve all of the legal issues with the other governments. When things are finally back to normal, I go back to Arcadia, anxious to see how Idoun is faring. Is she alive? Did she wake up? Has her soul been restored? I hope these questions will be answered when I arrive.

Walking up to the temple, I lift the handle to knock on the door, but I'm interrupted by a tap on my shoulder, and I turn around to the smiling face of Sophia.

"Roy... I have some great news for you..."

* * *

Author's Notes

Somewhat shorter chapter, but that was because I had to delete a lot of stuff.

I wanted SO BADLY to write this in first-person narrative, but originally, there was an alternate storyline going on with this one, so I couldn't. (explains the deleted stuff) In the end, it was too complicated, so I dumped it, but I already wrote four chapters in third-person, so I (hopefully) fixed all of the third-person references. I actually liked the way it looks when it was in third-person, so now I'm going to write all future chapters in third-person and then change it to first. It's weird; my writing style changes depending on which of the two I originally use, so I like the third-person style with first-person words.

Does anyone actually understand what I just said? :p

We are almost at the end of the game's events now, and next chapter will be the start of the entirely new material. (instead of the _mostly_ new material :p) I had to look up a bunch of things to make sure all my information was correct, such as the part of Etruria dismantling, but I obviously took advantage of some loopholes as well.

For example, I'm pretty sure it was much longer than a couple of weeks before Roy could visit Idoun (it was probably months) in the game, but since there wasn't any specific time frame given, I gave it the short time frame of a couple of weeks; it will make the rest of the story more rational... uh, I mean BELIEVEABLE later on. Possibly. Depends on how you guys view things. For all I know, I'm probably wrong, as usual.


	3. Chapter 3: The Plan

Chapter 3: The Plan

"Yes, Prince Roy, we were able to restore Idoun's soul, and when we did, she woke up!"

I'm talking with the village elder right now, checking on the condition of Idoun while I'm in the area. It seems to be that Idoun has been cured! Breathing a sigh of relief, I say to him, "Thank you very much... I feel better knowing that she's starting to recover. I was worried..."

"Well... she's not actually cured..." the elder replies. "She won't do anything on her own, and I wonder if it's even possible that she ever will."

Dejected, I sit down to contemplate the situation; apparently, Idoun doesn't really seem to be recovering, and if she doesn't recover, the rest of her life may become worthless. That would be a horrible way to live, and now I realize that I need to help her myself if there's going to be any chance of Idoun getting her life back. However, just before I reveal this to the elder, Fa bursts into the room in a flash of purple, more excited than she's ever been before.

"Everyone! Everyone!" she yells, even though there are only two other people in the room. "Idoun laughed! Some fruit fell on Fa's head, and she laughed! This is the first time that that's ever happened!"

Kneeling down to Fa's eye level, I ask her, "was she smiling while she laughed?"

"Well, no... she always has this blank look on her face, even when she laughed." Suddenly gasping, she continues, "Oh no! Fa left Idoun outside alone!"

A look of worry writes itself over the elder's face. "Go, Roy! She's probably wandering around the temple entrance. Please make sure she's okay!"

Nodding, I give my regards to the elder and go with Fa to the temple gate to find Idoun; left alone, who knows what she will do. In reality, probably nothing of consequence, but if she gets lost, that would not be ideal for anybody. However, within a few minutes, we find her staring at a desert mango on the ground, seemingly contemplating its features, although it's more likely that she just doesn't know what to do with it. The two of us tiptoe up to Idoun, and when we are directly behind her, Fa almost taps Idoun's shoulder, but I stop her.

"Fa," I whisper, "please don't tell Idoun that I saved her life. Just trust me on this one."

"Alright Roy!" Tapping Idoun's shoulder to get her attention, Fa says to her, "Idoun! There's someone Fa wants you to meet!"

When Idoun turns around to face them, I gape; she looks even better than when I first saw her. Her hair seems like it's been freshly washed, allowing it to be dried by the sun while smelling somewhat of strawberries from the soap, and she's wearing a new white cloak as well. I remember the elder mentioning that until Idoun can take care of herself, some of the residents of the temple are acting as her caretakers in her stead, and I can see that they are doing a fine job so far.

"Idoun! This is Roy! He's one of Fa's friends!" I chuckle at Fa's comment before saying, "Hello Idoun. I'm happy to meet you."

"Roy..."

_Hopefully, one day I'll get to meet the real you..._

"Yay! We're all friends now! This calls for some yummy fruit!"

Fa walks towards the tree and begins to shake it wildly, hoping that some more of the delicious mangos fall onto the ground. After a few seconds, two pieces fall out of the tree, and Fa hops out of the way before a third one nearly knocks her out; after hitting her head with a mango once already, she doesn't want to experience a repeat of the painful situation.

"Phew!" she says, looking at the mango that almost fell on her. "The fruit almost fell on Fa's head again!"

Picking up two of the sweet prizes off of the ground, I hand one of the mangos to Idoun while holding the other one in my right hand. "I guess Fa didn't get to tell you earlier, but you can eat this fruit. Just put it up to your mouth and bite into it." Holding the mango in front of me, I demonstrate the simple technique for Idoun to see, taking a bite, and then I watch in delight as Idoun copies my maneuver flawlessly, if not hesitantly. I think I notice her eyes brighten slightly at the taste, but it may have just been an illusion. Either way, it's progress.

"Roy! She must be enjoying it!"

Suddenly, the wind begins to pick up, causing sand to blow throughout the barren landscape. Arcadia is in the desert, so other than a bunch of small houses, fruit trees, and the large temple in the center of the village, there is no shelter to protect the three of us from the buffeting of the sandstorm.

"Ouch! That hurts!" Fa says as she covers her face with her hand. "We should go back now. Thanks for helping Roy! We'll see you at dinner! Let's go Idoun!"

Fa begins to run to one of the houses in the village for protection, and as Idoun turns to follow, I say to her, "I hope to see you again tonight."

Looking back behind her, Idoun astonishes me by giving me something I've never seen from her before...

A bright smile.

* * *

"She gave me a smile," I tell Sophia excitedly. "Not just a plain smile either. It was one of those smiles you give when you're truly happy. After winning the war, everyone around me was smiling like that, including you."

Sophia looks at me happily. The last time I was here in Arcadia, I was worried about whether Idoun would begin to recover, or if she would a lifeless drone for the rest of her life, but now Idoun seems to be on the right track to getting back to normal, whatever normal is. No one alive knows Idoun's true personality, so we'll have to just wait and see what she is truly like.

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Well, Sophia," I reply enthusiastically, "I'm going back to Pherae tomorrow, but I plan to return to Arcadia as soon as I can. And I will stay until Idoun is completely cured. That's my plan."

"Can you do that?"

"Sure, my father's no longer sick, so he can take charge again."

Suddenly, a voice calls to me, "Hey, Prince Roy. Long time no see."

I turn around to the voice of Astol, joyfully grinning behind me. Examining Astol carefully, I notice that he is much happier now than during the war. An understandable reaction, of course, but for a different reason than what others would think; Astol used to be married to Igraine, guardian of the desert, but he was also a spy for Lycia, and so to protect Igraine, he left her alone, without any intention of coming back. However, when they met unexpectedly in Roy's army, eventually Astol revealed the truth to Igraine, resigned as a spy, and came back to Arcadia with her, promising never to leave her again.

"I saw you come along with us after the war, and now you're here again." Grinning again, he continues, "is there a particular reason you keep visiting? Not that I mind seeing old friends, of course."

"No worries, Astol! I want to help Idoun get back to normal, so the next time I come back, I'm staying until she's better."

"You know that could take a long time."

I sigh at the thought. In reality, it could take months, if not years, for Idoun to recover fully. "That's true... but I can't stand the fact that she's suffering because of something that wasn't even her fault. It's to do with my mother as well..."

"There's no need to explain yourself. Everyone has their reasons for doing what they do... it's just whether we make the right choices or not."

"True. At least you made the right decision at the end of the war."

"I know. Thank goodness, eh?"

As the two of us continue reminiscing about old times, Sophia shakes her head and starts to leave the room to prepare for dinner. The various permanent inhabitants of the temple, who consists of herself, Fa, Idoun, the elder, and other half-dragon half human hybrids, take turns making dinner for everybody including guests, but since Idoun and the elder can't do anything, and Fa is too inexperienced, Sophia has to take multiple turns throughout the week.

"Where are you going?" I ask, turning around when I notice Sophia leaving. "Do you need us to help you with something?"

"Oh, thank you Roy, but no. I have to prepare dinner. Astol, you can show Roy around Arcadia, right?"

"Yes, Sophia," Astol responds. "Alright Roy, let me give you the grand tour. If you're going to stay here eventually, you need to know where everything is, eh?"

* * *

Author's Notes

Now we are into the entirely new content. Nothing but made-up stuff from now on. BEWARE uh I mean enjoy! Nice to know there's some progress with Idoun!

For some reason, I'm confusing myself as to whether I'm writing my tenses correctly, because some things just aren't possible to say in present tense _when you're relating past information_. Hopefully no one's finding that a problem.

As a Canadian, I hate the stupid stereotype where all Canadians say "eh", _mostly because it's true._ I will NEVER say it myself, but I know so many other people who will. (idiots.) So having Astol say it TWICE is annoying, however it completely suits his character, so I had to keep it in there.

Don't you just love all the relevant information you get in these author's notes? :p


	4. Chapter 3x: The Truth

Chapter 3x: The Truth

As of now, I stand before my father Eliwood, the Marquess of Pherae, explaining the situation about Idoun. In fact, I'm almost begging to be allowed to stay in Arcadia until the situation is resolved; that's how strongly I feel about it, and since my father hasn't said anything yet, I wonder what he's thinking about. Am I merely being foolish and selfish with my request?

"Roy... do you really believe that this is the right choice?"

Bowing, I reply, "yes, father."

"Then wait here."

My father reaches behind his throne and pushes a small button, causing the throne to lower into the ground; the throne's actually a barricade, blocking access to a secret room. As he walks down a hidden staircase, I watch in surprise until my father's retainer, Marcus, pushes another secret button on the wall to close the entranceway.

"It's been a while, Prince Roy," Marcus says to me. Marcus has been a soldier, advisor, and close friend of my family for many years, and he's fought with both my father and I in the last two major wars. He's a wizened old man, and his light purple hair is turning a shade of grey, yet he possesses strength of character and physicality beyond his age. I give a look of admiration to the man; there's a good chance that the world would be a different place if not for Marcus' advice and prowess on the battlefield, as well as his kind heart. Even though he's slowed down with age, he can still defeat many of the other soldiers in spars solely because of his experience.

"Yes, it has." Walking closer to him, I continue, "Marcus, you've known my father your entire life... you must have known about the secret room before he did. What's down there?"

"Well, your grandfather, Elbert, who was also a dear friend of mine, had it installed months before his death. He meant for it to be a place of seclusion and meditation, but also a holding area for his most prized possessions. For example, your grandfather kept love letters to his wife that he wrote in his youth, among other things. In fact, after your grandfather died, your father took your grandfather's wedding ring and put it in this room. And now, your father uses it for his valuables, which will one day be passed to you."

Swallowing nervously, I ask, "what does... my father keep in this room?"

"Only a few things... his very first rapier, old portraits of his parents, and most recently..."

A low rumbling interrupts Marcus, and within a few seconds, the throne lowers into the ground once more before my father emerges from the depths of the secret room below. As Marcus presses the hidden button on the wall to close the entranceway, my father motions me closer to him and encloses his hands over mine.

"Roy, take this..." he says, releasing a small object into my hands. "It belonged to your mother."

I examine the small object in my hand. It appears to be a stone of some sort, shining a brilliant turquoise blue in the sunlight beaming from the window. As I hold the stone, I notice a warm, familiar feeling of calmness envelop me, the likes of which I haven't experienced in years, and before I can help myself, tears begin developing in my eyes for unknown reasons, but I quickly wipe them away before anyone can notice.

"Father, what is this?"

"This is... your mother's dragonstone."

_My... my mother's dragonstone? My mother, she was..._

"Yes Roy, Ninian was a dragon." Sighing, my father continues, "or should I say half-dragon half-human. You know the story of the war, right? I've told you it many times before. However, I didn't disclose the fact that your mother was, in fact, one of the dragons from the story..."

I remember the story well. My grandfather, Elbert, went missing, and so my father adventured out to find him. Along the way, he met a dancer named Ninian, and although that was only their second meeting, they shared a special connection with each other throughout the rest of the war.

Near the climax of the war, my father accidentally killed a dragon on their side, and Ninian was killed in the aftermath of the battle, but by the help of one of the few remaining heroes of legend from the Scouring, Bramimond, Ninian was raised back to life, and she weakened the dragon that my father and his army had to defeat to end the war for good. In the end, instead of returning to her homeland, my mother stayed with my father to marry him, but when I was only eight, she died of an incurable disease.

Or at least, that's the story I was told.

Taking a deep breath, my father begins disclosing some of the unknown facts of the story to me: my mother was actually the dragon that my father accidentally killed, which grieves him horrendously down to this day, and in the end, she died not by illness, but because of the fact that she couldn't survive in the atmosphere of Elibe; her actual home was beyond a portal called The Dragon's Gate, but she gave up a nearly immortal life to live a few precious years with the man she loved... my father.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you this earlier... but I didn't know how you would react. Ninian said only to tell you when you were ready to hear it, and I believe that because of the situation at hand, now is the perfect time."

"Father, did you think that I would be ashamed?" Clutching my mother's stone tighter in my hand, I continue, "I loved mother... how could I be ashamed of her?"

* * *

**About ten years ago, at the age of five...**

**I run down the darkened halls of Castle Pherae, tears streaming down my face. Every couple of seconds, a large blast of lightning brightens up the room, followed by a horribly loud crack of thunder so intense that the walls shake from the impact. Thankfully, I eventually reach my destination; my parent's bedroom.**

"**Mommy! Daddy!"**

**Jumping onto the bed in one leap, I crawl under the covers and squeeze myself between my parents, waking them up with a start.**

"**Roy..." my father says groggily, "again? Why are there so many thunderstorms this week?"**

"**Please, dear, he's still so young. I'll take care of him. I know you have a lot to do in the morning..."**

**My mother calmly removes her covers, and taking my hand, she picks me up and carries me outside the room, where the storm still rages all around us. After she sits down on a small rocking chair, I immediately push my face into her chest, crying shamelessly as she gives me a kiss on his head and holds me in her arms. As I cry, I can feel my mother's steady heartbeat, and I begin to calm down, that is, until another crack of thunder causes me to start crying again. Soon, however, my mother begins to sing a soothing lullaby...**

"**You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..."**

**Hearing my mother's voice, as well as feeling the light thumping of her heartbeat and the sensation of the slow, steady rocking of the chair are enough to finally calm me down, and eventually, I begin to fall asleep in my mother's arms despite the roaring storm just outside the building.**

"**Goodnight, Roy. I love you..."**

**I smile happily before finally submitting to the sleep that's been eluding me...**

* * *

A tear slowly falls down my face at the memory, but I quickly wipe it away as I try to regain my composure.

"Roy," my father says, "times were different twenty or so years ago..."

"That's right, Roy," Marcus interjects; up until now, Marcus has been keeping quiet, simply allowing the two of us some time to speak to each other. "Many people were suspicious enough of Lady Ninian when she came home with Eliwood to be his wife. There was no real reasonable explanation as to where she came from, not to mention the fact that she was a dancer. Rumours abounded that she wasn't a real person, and while everyone from the army knew Ninian and thought it was completely unfair, the two of them decided that it would be the best decision not for anyone else to know."

I mull over Marcus' reasoning. Sure, people can't handle issues that take them off-guard, such as the fact that Pherae's future ruler is, in fact, blood related to the very enemy that Bern took advantage of just recently. But everybody knows who I am; wouldn't that be enough to change their minds for the better? Or will that merely fuel their fire instead? 'The dragons have corrupted our rulers!' they may declare. It is sobering to think about, really.

"Either way, Roy," my father says, "if you believe that going on this trip is the right thing to do, I'm not stopping you. Your... mother..." he continues, choking somewhat on his words, "she cared deeply for people. So do I, but I believe you inherited that more from her. Now go, pack your things. Even though I may not see you again for a long time... I'm proud of you, son."

Gaining a newfound respect for my father within the time period of just this conversation, I give my father a hug, and as we embrace, I can feel the dragonstone in my hand becoming warm, and the soothing calming feeling from years ago envelops the two of us like a blanket.

"Thanks dad..."

* * *

Author's Notes

Can you understand why I made this a gaiden chapter? It's certainly different than the other ones. Generally, the content of gaiden chapters is not necessary to the story, but it helps you get a better sense of things. Now you know some back-story!

'You Are My Sunshine' is a song my mom sang to me when I was younger; well actually, just the chorus. The chorus is very heartfelt, happy, and cute, plus it fits perfectly with the circumstance of the story. The rest of the song... not so much. :p Look up the lyrics!

It took a lot of thinking and double-checking of information to make sure I got the details right with this one, but I think it's about right. Hopefully I didn't forget some important canon detail. One note I should point out, however: the exact words in Eliwood and Ninian's ending states that she led a "brief life" with Eliwood. "Brief" varies; in human years, 13 years (which I think my story calculation ends up as, unless my math sucks; I'd like someone to confirm that) is a long time, but in dragon years, 13 years is squat. So once again, I've taken advantage of a loophole for the sake of the story.

Oh yeah, if you think the end of the chapter is foreshadowing of Eliwood getting killed off, then you're quite wrong. :p Non-canon death is not tolerated in my universe. And apparently, canon death is sometimes ignored as well. :D

Let's get back to the actual story, shall we?


	5. Chapter 4: Secret of the Temple

Chapter 4: Secret of the Temple

Entering Arcadia once again, I take in the peaceful desert environment; this is going to be my home for the next while, so I need to get used to it, not that it will be a problem. Since the land was blessed by the Divine Dragons of old millennia ago, water and fruit trees are plentiful around the village, as well as the unusual opportunity to actually plant crops and keep livestock in the otherwise barren terrain. However, the harsh reality of the desert spans miles and miles outside the radius of the village, so travellers have to take many precautions if they are in need of leaving.

As I continue walking towards the temple to announce my presence, I notice a strange figure sitting behind a palm tree, and not sure who it is, I start walking towards him with curiosity. Before I get there, however, I'm interrupted by a shy 'hello' from behind me, and as I turn around to respond...

"Are you... Roy?"

_It's Idoun!_

_And she's smiling!_

"Idoun!" I shout, running towards her, "yes, I am Roy. We met a couple of weeks ago. You look... well."

Indeed, she looks more than well; Idoun smiling is an expression I've only seen once before, and it's one I don't think I'll ever take for granted. There's a certain cheerfulness to it that few possess, and that may be related to the fact that she hasn't had reason... no, she hasn't been _able _to smile, and so the freedom to do so gives her smile the impression of genuineness as well as cheerfulness.

Now, despite this joyful reunion, the two of us now simply stare at one another; Idoun with a blank stare, and I with a quizzical glance.

_Perhaps she will speak more as she gets better?_

It is starting to get awkward now, and deciding to finally break the silence, I ask her, "How have things been? Have people been helping you here?"

"...help?"

_How can I explain help to her?_

"Help... uh, remember when I showed you how to eat a mango?"

I pick off a mango from the nearest tree, and as I hand it to her, Idoun seems to brighten at the gesture. "Yes, I do."

"Well," I continue, "that was helping you eat."

"Hmm..."

Idoun examines the fruit with curiosity before taking a bite, savouring its flavour. As she smiles from its taste, more so than last time, I breathe a sigh of relief; it seems that Idoun is definitely on the road to recovery now, and at a faster pace than expected. Perhaps I won't be here as long as I thought. That's a good thing, because if my dad gets sick again, he won't be able to rule Pherae, and I would need to go back and take care of the throne.

"Tasty..."

Before I can reply, I'm suddenly hugged from behind by none other than Fa; she seems quite happy to see me, since it's been a while since I was last here.

"Hi Roy! Fa misses you!" she squeals, squeezing me tighter. "How long are you staying this time? Fa has a game she wants to play with you!"

I smile at Fa's playful attitude; she's probably the perfect influence for Idoun, not to mention that she can lift anyone's spirits in minutes. During the war, whenever the army lost morale, merely looking in Fa's direction and watching her pick flowers and sing songs to herself was enough for everyone to forget about their problems, something not easily done by one of my motivational speeches. It's true that her powers as a Divine Dragon were extremely useful during battle, but her most important assistance came in the form of her innocence and carefree attitude, and if she hadn't been able to perk up the army during some crucial moments of the war, we may not have won in the end.

"Ha ha! Don't worry; I'll be here for a long time. We'll play later, okay?"

"Yay! Come on Idoun! Roy needs to do some things right now. Bye!"

As Fa runs off, Idoun offers me a sheepish 'goodbye' before following her, smiling the entire time. After watching the two girls leave, I take a glance behind me to finally confront the man who was sitting behind the tree, but to my surprise and dismay, the man is gone. Thinking that perhaps he was never there in the first place, I depart for the temple to get my room ready, and when I enter, I'm surprised to see the Arcadian elder blocking my path into the rest of the building. His face is kindly, however, so I smile back at him before trying to walk around him, but the elder quickly steps in front of me to stop me.

"Sorry Roy," the elder says happily, "but I feel immense power emanating from you, and I need to know what it is before I can let you through."

_Immense power?_

"I couldn't tell you. I don't feel different than usual." I think about it for a minute before replying, "I have two dragonstones with me; could that be it?"

"Two?"

I pull out Idoun's dragonstone and my mother's dragonstone from my pocket to show to the elder; I never put Idoun's stone anywhere for the sake of no one else finding it, and I'm keeping my mother's stone with me for safekeeping, as well as for the wishes of my father, although sometimes I'll simply hold it whenever I'm alone, and then, the memories of mother would flow through my mind like a river, giving me great comfort.

"I see... come with me."

The elder leads me into a secret hallway, and the two of us twist and turn through the ancient passageway, walking deeper and deeper underground. On the way to our destination, I take notice of the many altars and statues along the walls, all of them depicting dragons of various kinds; the only two I recognize are the Fire Dragons and Divine Dragons, and one of them looks eerily similar to Fa in her dragon form.

"I know what you are thinking," the elder says, reading my thoughts. "That statue looks exactly like Fa. It is, in fact, her. Because of her age, she wasn't included with the 'Divine League of Divine Dragons', along with the other Divine Dragons depicted here. She will be eventually. Now as far as the Divine League is concerned... they are just ahead."

When we finally reach the end of the hallway, I gasp in amazement at the glamorous room. Lit entirely by divine torchlight, I get a sense on how large the room really is; it's probably about half the size of the entire temple above ground, and it takes many minutes to traverse the entirety of the surface. At the very end of the room, there stands a small pedestal surrounded by seven pillars, and the elder places Idoun's dragonstone on top of it, causing one of the pillars to glow a brilliant violet.

Suddenly, a small tremor quakes throughout the room, and an old, tattered book rises up on another pedestal behind the stone. Taking the book, the elder places it into my hands, saying, "this might be useful for you to read. It describes the entire Divine League in detail, and as you may understand now, Idoun was one of its seven members. You can glean some information about her that may help you."

I stare at the brown book with interest. Opening it, I notice that there are only nine pages; one page per member, plus an introduction and conclusion page about the League. On the front cover, there's a full coloured rainbow covering its entirety, plus seven colored stones pertaining to each of the seven sections of the rainbow, lined up in a row for decoration. On the back, there are seven people arranged in the shape of a hexagon, with the seventh person in the middle. He notices Idoun in the bottom right corner of the hexagon, adorned in beautiful violet silk robes.

"Oh, and one more thing. Idoun... she is not allowed to have her dragonstone back now. You must leave it here for all eternity. She must not even touch it."

"What?" I cry out in astonishment. "What if she needs to protect herself? Or to resume her duties in the League?"

"No no, you don't understand. When Idoun's soul was destroyed, the stone became corrupted. Even though we have restored her soul, the stone remains corrupted... and if she ever touches it again, she will revert to her soulless self... without any hope of recovery."

I consider the elder's words wisely. For all eternity? That's not fair at all; if Idoun gets attacked, she can't defend herself, and if that happens...

Shuddering, I ask him, "are you sure there's no hope? I can't believe that."

"Hmm... well, actually, if something like this actually happened, she can only be saved by the most powerful force in the world... that is what the legends say about curing legendary conditions, except nobody knows what that force is. My recommendation is to just keep the stone from her."

I nod my head in determination before replying, "yes. I'll make sure of it. You can count on me."

* * *

Author's Notes

Everybody's buddy Gunlord500 suggested I incorporate some dragon lore into my story, and I thought, 'what a great idea! I can make up whatever I want!' Well, not WHATEVER, but you get the idea. Expect a LOT more next chapter. I thought the idea of Arcadia being blessed by the Divine Dragons would be a reasonable idea, considering it's one of the few safe havens for dragons in Elibe anyway.

There are technically seven colours in a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Remember 'ROY G BIV' from school? Just mentioning it in case someone thinks, "hey! There are only six colours in a rainbow, not seven! This guy is REALLY stupid now, not just really stupid."

Oh, and by the way, PLEASE NO GUEST REVIEWS. SIGN IN AND REVIEW. IF YOU DON'T, YOUR REVIEW WILL BE DELETED. Hasn't happened yet with the new policy, but it will. I don't care if it's the nicest review in the world, sign in please. I have to keep all guest reviews or delete all guest reviews, (prevents bias on my part) so I've decided to delete all guest reviews to discourage spamming. Sorry guys...

I'm suffering from writer's block something fierce; it took over two weeks to write this chapter. (and the last third was written in two days... :p) So, I have made the decision to start writing one-shots in between sets of chapters. In fact, you shall see my first one sometime next week. Ideas for other stories are popping up in my mind, so perhaps writing something else will help me generate ideas for this one. Next chapter for this story will be up in about 2-3 weeks.

I'm sorry about this guys... this is actually kind of hypocritical about my philosophy on writing. I'll be back with something else next week.

Lots of apologies this update! :p


	6. Chapter 4x: A New Friend

Chapter 4x: A New Friend

Back in my room in the temple, I open the sacred book on the Divine League and begin to read its pages in detail. It is a small book; however the pages are full of drawings as well as text, making it a very interesting read.

* * *

On the first page, small caricatures of the seven members of the League are arranged in a sort of food-chain type chart: a menacing green dragon on the top; under him, a group of three dragons of red, orange, and blue; under them, a feathery, yet furry yellow dragon that looks strangely familiar; and at the bottom, a pair of dragons, one indigo and one violet. I recognize the violet dragon as Idoun, and while something about the picture looks off, I ignore it and begin to read the ancient text with excitement.

**Introduction to the League**

_**The Divine League... these powerful dragons are the beings that control the fate of Elibe through their involvement in, and absence from, influential events concerning the continent. Holding seven members, the League is made up of many different personalities and behaviours for the sake of justice, and while there is a leader in the League, all decisions are made by consensus, further adding to the democratic process.**_

_**The structure of the League in order of importance and power is as follows:**_

_**Firstly, there is the leader, Narga. This powerful Divine Dragon has the strength of a god, and he directs everything that occurs within the League. More information about him is on the next page.**_

_**Secondly, there is the Elemental Trio. One of the most secretive traits about the Divine League is the fact that these three are not actually Divine Dragons; they are, in fact, a Fire Dragon, an Earth Dragon, and an Ice Dragon, in order of importance. With the exception of the Divine Dragons residing in Arcadia, Divine Dragons are generally not in contact with humans at all, which is why the inclusion of other dragons is essential to making the League fair and just. As well, the Elemental Trio has the closest direct involvement with the humans, making their opinions, when unanimous, extremely important to the League.**_

_**Thirdly, there is the second-in-command, Amiya. She may be second-in-command, but that is mostly a formality; combined, the opinion of the Elemental Trio carries more weight (albeit barely) than Amiya's does, but separately, Amiya holds much more power. Originally a personal friend of Narga, this dragon has considerable influence on Narga due to their close bond, helping him come up with plans of action in situations concerning the well-being of Elibe.**_

_**Lastly, there is the Divinative Duo. This team of Divine Dragons, while still involved with discussions, take care of the records of important events and then try to glean information from them. These two have the least influence; however, their job is extremely important for keeping the League on track because of their administrative abilities.**_

_**This is the League. This book will explain all about them and their duties... due to being a book that humans will read, the dragons will be shown in their human forms, with the exception of the first and last pages. Be aware that these are not true forms. The dragon edition of this book shows the dragons in their real forms, and provides more intricate information about them.**_

_**For now, however, begin by going to the next page.**_

Suddenly, the book surrounds itself in a rainbow coloured aura before completely doubling in size, taking me by surprise. While it is still only nine pages long, the pages are now humongous, allowing more information to be written on the sacred paper. Looking back on the first page, the caricatures of the League in their dragon forms are in much more detail now, but I decide to wait until another time to re-examine them.

* * *

Turning to the next page, I am greeted by the menacing image of the leader, Narga. He is a fearsome giant of a man, and he looks like he could move boulders simply by command. While bald, his green beard is majestic, nearly hitting the floor due to its length. He is completely covered by green robes, and a small golden crown protrudes from his head in indication of his power and authority. Perhaps most disturbing of all are his emerald eyes; clearly for intimidation, these eyes appear to have the power to cut through flesh if allowed. Finally, he holds a giant staff with the crest of dragon-kind carved into it.

**Divine Leader, Narga**

_**Narga is the leader of the Divine League. His duties include overseeing debates and resolutions within the League, making sure it is fair and just, and directing any action that the League takes or does not take.**_

_**Despite his fearsome appearance, he is a kind individual. He never wanted to be the leader, but his acquaintances felt he would be a grand choice for the honour, knowing that he will do anything in his power to keep peace between both humans and dragons. Up to this day, he still faithfully puts his entire soul into the League, knowing its importance, and because of this, he is highly respected by everyone around him, including his fellow members.**_

_**Narga has a young daughter named Tiki, and she wholeheartedly supports her father in whatever he does; inheriting his kindness, she knows everything he does is for the good of all, and she hopes she can be a worthy successor to him when it is her time to take over his position.**_

On the bottom of the page, there is a portrait of a young girl, showing slight resemblance to Narga. With beautiful emerald eyes and her flowing green hair in a ponytail, she is the picture of innocence, and I can't help but laugh to myself, thinking how she's probably glorified by all of dragonkind's male youth. But then again, do dragons find humans, or dragons in their human form, attractive? And what about the other way around? Probably not; why would they? However, my mother and father would not have married if there wasn't an attraction somewhere. That's something I'll have to research later.

* * *

On the top of the next page is an absolutely stunning young woman, looking to be in her late teens, and she actually rivals the beauty of Idoun, hard though that may be to believe. A natural redhead, she has friendly red pepper eyes, and the brightness of her smile rivals Idoun's as well. And even though it's only a picture, I can feel the warmth and happiness she emits from her kind and caring demeanour. After staring at the picture for longer than probably necessary, I start reading her description.

**Pyra, Interaction Unit of the Elemental Trio**

_**Pyra is a Fire Dragon who's also the head of the Elemental Trio due to her qualities and responsibilities. Since Divine Dragons usually have little contact with humans, the Elemental Trio was established to counteract this, and the Trio is broken into three units; the Interaction Unit, the Observation Unit, and the Investigation Unit. Pyra's in the Interaction Unit, which means that she spends the majority of her time with the humans, learning their ways and behaviours firsthand.**_

_**Despite her gorgeous appearance, she is even more beautiful on the inside. She has a heart of gold, intense compassion, and more love for others than should be possible. No one dead or alive has ever seen her angry or frustrated; no matter how hard anyone may try, she always sees the good in everyone, and eventually, these ones can't help but smile as well in her presence. The only one who comes close to Pyra's kind-heartedness, compassionate behaviour, and beauty is Idoun, a member of the Divinative Duo...**_

_Wait, Idoun?_

_So Idoun is similar to Pyra?_

_**Due to her ability to get along with everybody, she is the perfect choice to be in the Interaction Unit. When at League meetings, she'll share her day's experiences about the humans before any resolutions are considered, and while many joke that she would rather spend time with them than with other dragons, she doesn't mind. She considers it an honour, and says she'll continue to view it as such until the day she dies.**_

The rest of the page depicts Pyra in other poses, some of them more... exciting, than others, and I can't help but blush. To a dragon, it probably means nothing, but to someone my age, it's exhilarating. I remember some of the younger men in the army trying to spy on some of the women, so I followed them to try and stop them. However, they were apparently playing a prank on me, and long story short, I ended up watching my former teacher, Cecilia, bathing, and if I had said anything during that time, she would have caught me, so I was... forced to enjoy the wonderful experience my beautiful mentor was unknowingly providing me. Either way, that event was quite enlightening.

Sighing happily before catching myself in disgust, I notice a boy who looks about my age peeking through my doorway, and so I motion the visitor to come in. The boy points to himself in surprise, not expecting me to welcome him in, and as I welcome the boy in again, he quietly steps inside, trying desperately to avoid eye contact. Eventually, he hesitantly sits down on my bed beside me.

He must be a dragon, but even then, he looks different than the others. His hair is made up of multiple streaks of turquoise and indigo; a blend of colours found nowhere else in Arcadia, and his eyes of the same unique mixture are shy and reserved, unlike everyone else's eyes who are bright and proud. A good word to describe him would be slight; he's taller than I am, but he's petite for a boy of his apparent age, and his body type probably doesn't help his modest demeanour.

"I'm... sorry, I spied on you," the boy says, shaking slightly. "It's just that I've never seen you before... and I wanted to know who you were. I didn't want you to judge me..."

"Why would I judge you? You don't seem like a bad guy."

"Well... I'm a dragon, and you're a human..." Shifting the brown cloak he's tightly holding across himself, he continues, "and I usually keep to myself for... various reasons, which even other dragons aren't too thrilled about... so what would a human think?"

"I don't understand why that's a problem. You don't have to worry about what I think," I reassure him, smiling. "My name's Roy. What's yours?"

Hearing me introduce myself, the boy seems to relax, and he breathes in slowly before answering, "my name is... Tarif. It means 'unique', or at least that's what I read in the library... but during my time here, sometimes kids called me Tomato... I'm pretty sure it's an insult..."

Tarif is right about that one. 'Tomato' is sometimes used as a nickname for a girl. I remember calling Sophia Tomato once, and she thought it was cute. I wonder what this guy has gone through in his life based on his physique and distinctive physical attributes. His shyness probably doesn't contribute much either.

"Well Tarif, you certainly look unique, but not in a bad way. You have streaks of turquoise and indigo in your hair. Nobody else here has that, and it looks cool."

"I actually wasn't born here... so that may have something to do with it. As well, I'm actually half-dragon half-human... I should have said that before. I even have... a dragonstone," he tells me before showing me a small stone coloured with turquoise and indigo swirls. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but some of the dragons... don't like human blood tainting the dragon line. They feel that it's... sacrilegious. It seems that... some dragons don't care at all, and others encourage it... but a large number are completely against it."

That's kind of strange; I don't recall anyone ever mentioning that before. Not that it's ever been an issue that needed to be discussed, but you would think that it would maybe come in conversation. Perhaps it's taboo because of the conflicting opinions on the issue; I'll have to ask Sophia about that later... but wait, what about Sophia herself? She's half-human half-dragon as well! Does she feel some alienation because of this?

"I've never heard of such a problem before. You know, I'm actually one-quarter dragon," I say proudly. "I think that..."

"One-quarter?" Tarif interrupts, eyes widening. "Sorry to interrupt... but I'd keep that a secret. That means... a half-dragon had children with a full human... and while I don't have any problem with this whole issue at all... others will. I never saw anybody with a deeper love for each other than my parents... and I'm very happy they... fell in love even though they were different species. Just be careful, okay?"

"I'll talk to Sophia about it. She's one of my best friends... uh, why are you blushing?"

Blushing is actually a slight understatement. His face is almost completely red. This is probably another reason as to why people call him Tomato.

"uh, well..."

"You find Sophia pretty, don't you?"

"Very much so..."

Suddenly, I hear a knock at the door, and standing there is the Arcadian elder, patiently waiting or my attention. I hold my next thought before I meet the elder at the door and shake his hand. "Hello," I greet him cheerfully, "what brings you here?"

"I thought this would be interesting for you to know." Nodding curtly in greeting to Tarif across the room, he continues, "some of them are actually here."

"Who?"

"...the Divine League."

* * *

Author's Notes

I'm back again! Another gaiden chapter. Now, you may think that all of the information and lore and details about people and new characters are useless and unnecessary. While that is partially true, a lot of this information comes into play later on in the story, if not within the next chapter. Notice how only two of the Divine League members were explained, and another was merely named. (none of these do not include Idoun) That means you're going to see Pyra and Narga eventually. I originally wanted to highlight the entire League, but it would take way too long. You'll eventually see Idoun's entry as well.

Tomato actually can be used as slang for 'girl' or 'woman' in North America; sometimes offensively, but not always. Tarif does mean 'unique' in Arabic, and I figured it fit with the character (my first non-game character!) I was trying to convey; both names, I mean. We'll find out more about Tarif and his past later. I asked Tom-Ato13 for (extremely vague and non-specific) permission to use his screen name for this character.

Why shouldn't Narga be the leader? He's basically the king anywhere else he's mentioned anyway. As for his human form, I thought a large intimidating man with a heart of gold worked perfectly. He's been depicted in multiple age groups in the games, and sometimes as a female too, so it doesn't really matter. Tiki will be in the story later as well, if not at the very least mentioned again. I haven't decided yet.

Pyra is a play on the word 'pyro', which most people know means 'fire'. She appears next chapter. She also provided you guys a clue about Idoun's personality! Amiya means 'friendship' in Latin, and while she may never show up again, she needed a name, and Amiya seemed reasonable.

The paragraph about Roy's experience with Cecilia is homage to my fic At First Sight. While that particular situation never happened in that story, something similar crossed my mind. Yeah yeah, laugh at me.

Bad news for you guys. I'm going on vacation, which means no updates for many weeks. Be sure to come back when I return, though! I WILL STILL BE REPLYING TO PMS AND REVIEWS AND STUFF, AS WELL AS TRYING TO REVIEW OTHER PEOPLE'S STUFF. I'll try my best to still be around, but I won't be online nearly as often as usual, and I definitely won't update for a while. I'm really sorry! After waiting weeks for this chapter, you have to wait again...


	7. Chapter 5: Pyra

Chapter 5: Pyra

Running with Tarif to the outskirts of town, I scan the area for any sign of the Divine League that the elder told me was here. But I don't notice anyone out of the ordinary milling around; did they leave? Groaning to myself, I realize that anyone with any sort of authority probably wouldn't be hanging around in one place too long, especially if they have any special business to attend to.

But then, I notice the man sitting behind the tree.

He's the same man I saw when I just arrived in Arcadia.

"Tarif," I ask my new friend, "do you know that man over there?"

Tarif squints his eyes to get a better look, but he doesn't seem to recognize the man either. "Sorry Roy... I have no idea... is he someone important?"

"I'm not sure... but I saw him when I first got here today. Doesn't matter, I guess. I'll probably see him later on if he keeps appearing like this."

Deciding it best to take a break from searching now, I sit down on a log as Tarif gingerly deposits himself beside me. I flip open my book on the Divine League, and I can feel Tarif trying to poke his head to see what I'm reading without disturbing me. He is quite a passive fellow, I assume, but I don't mind; it demonstrates that he shows respect for others and their personal space, and that is very admirable.

However, should I get too close to him? Judging by his personality and the few things he's told me, his presence may not be completely welcomed here. But I can tell that he is in need of a friend, so I shove my selfish doubts aside and decide that I will be that friend for him.

"Come on," I tell him, "you don't have to be so shy. You can just ask if you want to see what I'm doing."

"Sorry... I can't help it." His expression suggests that he's considering his next words carefully. "I get my personality and physique... from my mother. She's really small and petite... as well as very shy and reserved. In many ways, though... I'm even shyer than she is... and it doesn't help that I have my father's height... in fact, I'm even taller than he is! That combination of traits... it's unnatural."

He might be right; if it weren't for his slight appearance and shy personality, I'd normally be afraid of him. He's almost a head taller than I am, and again, my eyes wander towards the large brown cloak he covers himself with. If he had any sort of muscle frame to him at all, I'd be fearful to see what he was like without it, but now, I'm just curious as to what he's trying to hide.

"Why do you wear the cloak, Tarif?"

His eyes widen at the question, and he self-consciously pulls the cloak even tighter around himself before turning his head away in embarrassment. It must be a really touchy subject for him, because before long his cheeks start turning red again. I would probably laugh at the situation if it was anybody else, but Tarif's clearly upset that I asked about it, and now I only feel regret for asking him.

"Oh... I didn't realize that question would affect you so much..." Putting my arm on his shoulder reassuringly, I continue, "that was rude of me."

Tarif merely shakes his head. "No, it's all right... it's just that the cloak, it, um..." He hesitates for a moment. "It hides... my wings."

His wings? Now that I think about it, the only dragons I've seen with their wings exposed were the War Dragons manufactured from Bern. Nobody here in Arcadia has their wings out in the open for everyone to see unless it is absolutely necessary. Is it taboo to reveal them? There's another question to ask Sophia later. Dragonkind is really starting to confuse me. I know Fa sometimes would keep hers out during the war to get around easier, but she never displays them here.

"Dragons here in Elibe... never show their wings, unless they're Fire Dragons... and don't forget that I wasn't born here either... I only came a couple years ago... and my wings are different from everyone else's... I can't hide them like the others... so only one person in Elibe has ever seen them..." He tugs uncomfortably at the cloak again. "Although... it's really annoying to keep holding this stupid cloak."

All of the manufactured dragons from Bern were Fire Dragons, so I guess that explains the wings. "We don't all have to be the same, Tarif. You said your name means 'unique', right?"

He seems to weigh his options in his head, and then, for the first time since meeting him, I see determination blaze through his eyes, and he tosses his cloak to the side, allowing his wings to expand to their full glory.

And I must say, they _are_ unique... and impressive. They're very similar to those of a bat, with long finger-like protrusions running down the front and sides. The protrusions and the entire back-end of the wings are an eerie darkish yellow, while the leathery skin in-between is a luminescent greenish turquoise. Long and sleek, they are clearly made for precision flight; however, they look quite fast as well. They are quite different from the wings of the dragons I've seen before, though.

"Well, Roy..." Tarif says hesitantly, "that's it, I guess... at least I don't have to lug that cloak around anymore..."

Suddenly, without warning, Tarif is tackled by a speedy flash of red, ending up with him flat on the ground and pinned down by an attractive redheaded woman. Their faces are only about six inches apart, and I can see Tarif trying his best to focus his eyes on the mystery woman's smiling face; the way both of them are positioned, Tarif is in prime position to stare down the woman's shirt, who herself is clearly oblivious to the awkwardness of the situation.

Hmm... now that I think about it, this reminds me of the time when a dancer from our army, Lalum, accidentally _(so she says...)_ tripped on me and crashed right on top of me. Boy, I was so embarrassed; I'm not that kind of a person... my head was squished between some rocks, so I couldn't turn away... although, it was an... exciting view...

I shake my head to clear out my thoughts and turn my attention back to Tarif, blushing away as usual, but the woman only seems to smile brighter at his reaction.

"Tomato? Is that you? I've missed you!" She gives him a kiss on the cheek and hugs him tight. "You finally took that cloak off! I'm so proud of you!"

Her compliment only seems to redden Tarif's cheeks even more, causing the woman to laugh and say, "hee hee, you're so sweet. You're going to make a lucky girl very happy one day, I just know it."

The two of them finally collect themselves off the ground, and as Tarif dusts himself off from the impact, the woman turns to face me, and I immediately recognize her as Pyra from the Elemental Trio of the Divine League. She is even more gorgeous in person; I can tell that her cheeks are softer, her smile is warmer, and she's definitely more endowed than most women I've met before, even though she's skinny and perfectly proportioned in every way. I also notice her elegant wings sticking out behind her back from her flowing red dress, apparently allowed to show them because she's a Fire Dragon.

I'm starting to get the feeling that dragons have some sort of special power that makes them look like angels. It's entirely possible; every female dragon I've met is absolutely beautiful, and Pyra is no exception. Idoun, Sophia, my mother... all beautiful. Once again, something else to ask Sophia. She's so nice; I hope she doesn't get upset or frustrated when I ask her all this.

However, there are some things I need to ask Pyra first.

"Are you Prince Roy?" Pyra asks me, walking closer. "My name's Pyra! It's great to finally meet you!"

How does she know who I am? "Er, yes I am. I'm sorry, but... how do you know me?"

The question only causes her to laugh. "Well, that's the job of Mr. Grumpy Face over there under that tree!" she replies, pointing behind me at the enigmatic man under the tree I've been noticing lately. "He told me that you were reading the book about the Divine League, and I came to seek you out. His name is Oscar, an Earth Dragon who's in the Observation Unit of the Elemental Trio. He's a bit of a hermit I'm afraid, but he does his job well. ISN'T THAT RIGHT, OSCAR?"

Pyra's yelling seems to catch Oscar's attention quite easily, and he makes a big "SHHHHH!" sound in response before hiding behind the tree and barely peeking out to continue watching. He's quite far away, so I can't really tell what he looks like; there aren't any Earth Dragons in Elibe, so I'm curious if he'll transform sometime, but Oscar doesn't seem like the best person to approach.

"Seriously though, Oscar's such a grouch. Now, I hear you need to ask me some things? I need to know your whole story before I can help you, beginning with the war, but that's okay, I have the time!"

She quickly sits down on the log and excitedly pats the spots beside her, prompting Tarif and I to join her there. Tarif sits to her right, and I to her left, and as she turns to my direction and leans against Tarif, I begin my story. The two of them are rapt with attention; Tarif for his lack of experience in Elibe, Pyra for her genuine interest, and she eagerly asks questions and makes statements throughout to get a better sense of things. It is clear to me that what the book said about Pyra's personality is definitely not an exaggeration.

"All those poor people on the Western Isles! I'll have to visit them on my next assignment!"

"Why was Etruria corrupt?"

"How come I didn't see you if you travelled around the continent?"

I'm not too sure about that one. Trying to think of an answer, I think I figure out the reason. "Well," I reply, "Where were you last?"

"I was in Sacae! Such a beautiful place!" Her eyes begin to glow as she says, "The air was so fresh there, and I met some really nice people. There was this one woman; eyes full of determination and a love for the plains, living happily together with her husband, oh! He was such a gentleman. They both used to live in Lycia. Ah..." she sighs, "good times. Sorry... continue!"

Makes sense. I didn't travel through Sacae; I traveled through Ilia instead. You know, I think I'm beginning to like Pyra already. She's very happy and lighthearted; something Elibe needs more of, personally. I know Tarif's taken a liking to her; they've apparently known each other before, and he certainly doesn't seem as unsure about himself when she's around, although it could be a coincidence. I'll find out later if need be.

Continuing where I left off, I finally get to the part about Idoun, which is where I wanted to end up in the first place. I finish my story, telling Pyra and Tarif about my resolve to help Idoun, and Pyra's eyes light up once more once she understands. "That's wonderful! Idoun is one of my best friends, but I couldn't leave my duties to help her until I got assigned here today." She pauses for a brief moment. "She... didn't remember me..." she whispers, her face drooping, "but... she mentioned you."

"Me?"

Almost immediately, her face brightens at my response. "Yes, she did! Didn't say much after that... guess she needs more time. You want my advice?"

I lean forward to hear what she has to say, excitement evident in my face. She's one of Idoun's best friends! She'll know exactly what I need to do. Hopefully it's something I'm capable of doing...

"Hugs!"

_Hugs?_

Honestly, I was expecting something a little more profound than that.

"I'm sorry?"

"Hugs!" she repeats, louder. "Idoun needs hugs. Anytime you see her, give her a tender hug. That is the best thing for her, I promise."

After hearing those words, I'm tapped on the shoulder, and I turn around to Sophia, smiling warmly, and after saying our hellos to each other, the two of us embrace. It is refreshing to see her; I've only seen her briefly since the war, and we haven't sat and talked for a long time. I miss those times we'd sometimes just sit and talk for hours during the war. Besides, I need to ask her all those questions about dragons.

"Sophia! I haven't seen you for a while!" Pyra says, creating a group hug by joining the two of us. "We have to catch up soon."

"Yes... we do," Sophia replies. "I'm sorry, but... I actually need to talk to you, Tarif."

Tarif's been so quiet, I almost forgot about him. Completely surprised that Sophia needs to talk to him of all people, he begins to blush, and Pyra simply chuckles in amusement. "Oh Tomato!" she giggles, "you're so cute! Always blushing like that!"

"Tarif..." Sophia starts, "I need some help reaching something. Can you help me?"

He merely gives a sheepish nod before getting up and following her as she walks away, and Pyra playfully jabs my side with a huge grin on her face. "He is clearly smitten for her."

"Yes, that's for sure."

The two of us burst out laughing at the thought as we watch the two of them go. Sophia stands pretty far under Tarif's shoulder, making him look like a giant, albeit a skinny one. Like father like son, I guess, judging by Tarif's description of his parents.

As we continue to snicker, I notice Oscar waving in the corner of my eye, trying to get Pyra's attention, and soon she notices as well. "Well, I guess Mr. Grumpy Face needs me. I'll see you soon!"

Before leaving, she gives me a kiss on the cheek and murmurs to me, "seriously, though, from the bottom of my heart... thank you for helping Idoun."

Hugging me and giving a playful wave, Pyra begins to hum and cheerfully skip towards Oscar to see what he wants, and I simply watch in awe. I cannot even begin to understand how someone like Pyra can even exist, but it's certainly not a bad thing. It's too bad I didn't learn much about Idoun, though.

Maybe I'll go find her and give her a hug.

* * *

Author's Notes

Back after vacation! Yay! Time for more story!

During my vacation, I read six books, and just by dumb luck, four of them were written in first person. And now, I noticed that my writing style has changed dramatically due to that influence. I'd like some guidance as to whether it is a good change or not; I don't know if I'll ever write first person the original way again. :/ Oh yeah, I'm no longer doing the 'third-person to first-person' thing I was attempting to describe in earlier chapters. Too much work. Not that anyone would notice.

When I tried describing Tarif's wings, I eventually noticed they are almost identical to bat wings. I love bats, but it was coincidence that they were so similar. Look it up on Wikipedia if you want to actually understand what the heck I'm trying to say. And on a related note, more dragon mysteries! What is going on? Well, we'll see!

The memory about Lalum is slight homage to my fic 'You Really Like Me?' Believe it or not, there's actually a _point_ to these awkward memories, so expect more later. :p

Pyra's a fun character to write for. She's just so HAPPY all the time. She gives good advice too. :D By the way, she was describing Kent and Lyn when she was talking about Sacae. And if you've never heard of Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street as far as "Mr. Grumpy Face" is concerned... you had no childhood. :p Boy, I feel old saying that. I'm only 20 as of the end of June, but still.

Well, according to the schedule I recited in chapter 4, time for a crack pairing! I haven't written much fluffy stuff for a long time, so the change is much appreciated on my part. After that, more of this story, but I will no longer say what I'm doing, basically because I don't want to plan that far ahead. I will never write two one-shots in a row, though.


	8. Chapter 6: Sakre

Chapter 6: Sakre

After my somewhat enlightening conversation with Pyra, I figure it might be time to possibly put her advice to the test. There's a good chance that Idoun's back in the temple, so I think that's the best place to start looking for her. Then we'll see for sure how much hugs seem to affect her...

Oh, who am I kidding? Hugs! I laugh at the silliness of the thought. True, hugs are nice, but the emphasis Pyra puts on them seems kind of ridiculous. She should know what she's talking about, though, being Idoun's close friend and all, and it's nice to have a place to start.

Smiling to myself, I walk inside the temple and observe a small meeting taking place, only attended by the elder, Idoun, two helpers from the temple, and a redheaded Fire Dragon boy (I can tell by the wings on his back) who looks a couple of years older than me. I've seen this guy wandering around a couple of times before, but I don't really trust him for some reason. Curious as to what is going on, I hide behind a pillar and listen to the conversation.

"Sakre", the elder says to the boy, "do you believe you can do this? Idoun is delicate..."

"Oh, I do," he replies cunningly. "You know I am a hard worker. I'm sure Idoun and I will get along _just_ fine." When he walks closer towards Idoun and goes to put his hand on her shoulder, Idoun recoils away from him, intense fear written through her eyes.

They are identical to when I defeated her at the Dragon Temple, just before she lost consciousness.

This guy is definitely hiding something.

"Idoun, what is it? Sakre is just being friendly," the elder tries to reassure Idoun, but I can tell she isn't convinced. I'm going to keep an eye on Sakre. Pyra might know something about him. She probably knows EVERYBODY. I'll ask Tarif and Sophia to watch out as well. The more people observing him, the better.

"Don't worry, elder," Sakre assures him. "Idoun and I will get to know each other quite well tomorrow. We won't have any problems." And then, flashing Idoun a disturbing grin, he exits, sauntering out with an arrogant swagger. I _really_ don't like this guy. I'm going to ask the elder what's going on, and see if I can glean anything about him.

* * *

Once everybody else is gone, I confront the elder as he's about to leave, and I ask him about Sakre.

"There is nothing wrong with Sakre, why do you ask me?"

"She looked so scared of him; her eyes were practically begging someone to save her."

"Nonsense!" the elder tells me, laughing. "I've heard good things from very reliable sources about him."

Very reliable sources? What does that mean?

"How can you make such an assumption about him?" he asks, and I explain to him the situation about her defeat at the Dragon Temple. Surprisingly, the elder seems to understand my reasoning, putting his hand on my shoulder and smiling. "Well," he says, "if you truly doubt his intentions, prove his bad behaviour to me, and I will gladly do something about it, okay? But for now, I'm trusting my instincts about him."

Thanking the elder, I take my leave and slowly mosey my way to Sophia's room. I want to ask her a few things about dragons so I can get a clearer understanding of the culture and politics. Maybe she knows something about Sakre as well. I'll have to...

Wait, what's that? I can hear a voice yelling to someone, "I knew there was a reason why you wore that stupid cloak! Put them back! Only Fire Dragons can reveal those!"

"I can't..." someone replies timidly. "I'm not able to... please, just leave me alone..."

Hmm... not sure who the first voice belongs to, but it sounds familiar. And I can already tell everything I need to know about the situation; someone's found Tarif with his wings exposed. Shaking my head and wondering how to fix the mess Tarif's gotten himself into, I continue down the hallway, and as I peek around the corner, I'm only partially surprised to find Sakre as the offender goading Tarif. I knew there was something troubling about him.

"Well, that's just too bad, _Tomato_," Sakre taunts, grinning from ear to ear. "You know the rules. Guess I'll just have to inform the elder about this."

"Inform him about what?" a female voice responds, and Sophia appears around the other corner of the hallway, calmly walking up to the two of them as if nothing's wrong. But, something looks different about her...

And within a couple of seconds, it hits me.

"Sophia! Since when did you have wings?" Sakre asks, just as surprised as I am. Honestly, I'm not sure if anybody even knows that Sophia has wings, and such exquisite ones at that; her wings are almost exactly like a butterfly's. They're a combination of many different colours and patterns, perfectly proportioned to her stature, and soft and fragile while luminescent and transparent. Somehow, they seem to suit her completely.

"You've... you've never shown any indication of having wings! Why now?"

Now I _really_ can't understand what the issue with the wings is. Why only Fire Dragons? Why is there a ban at all? It's frustrating, really. There is no reasonable explanation in my mind why Sophia would want to hide her wings at all.

"Well, Sakre..." Sophia begins, "if Tarif really can't hide his wings... something bad might happen to him." She looks with concern in Tarif's direction, smiles, and then turns back to Sakre, saying, "he needs someone to support him... so he can be protected."

Protected? I can't take this anymore!

"What the heck is the problem about the wings?" I yell in frustration, not actually noticing that I said that out loud until the three of them stare at me with attention, wondering how long I've been listening to the conversation behind my corner; specifically, Tarif with confusion, Sophia with relief, and Sakre with outrage. Sakre storms up to me, glaring, and I'm getting the eerie feeling I've seen his face before. Not directly, but from someone with the same resemblance; from the angry scowl to the blood-red irises in his eyes. He's also considerably taller than me; almost Tarif's height but more well-built, making him an intimidating figure.

"Who in Elibe's name are you?" Sakre asks, assessing me with those piercing eyes. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"That doesn't matter," I respond, trying to make myself look intimidating. It's not working. "I've been trying to find out about you because I don't trust you. I watched that conversation of yours about Idoun; she's scared to death of you, and I believe it's because of your intentions. I don't want you laying a hand on her."

I'm not sure what kind of expression I'm hoping for from him, but the silence he gives me isn't it. Finally, after an uncomfortable amount of time not saying anything, he merely laughs.

"Really. Well, that's too bad for her." Beginning to walk away, he turns back and smirks, saying, "I'm good with my hands."

* * *

The three of us relocate into Sophia's room (specifically onto her very comfortable bed) in the temple to discuss the situation at hand. I need to know what is up with Sakre; why does everyone know about his real personality, and yet the elder has no clue?

"Sakre lives in the outskirts of town..." Sophia explains to me, shivering slightly at the mention of Sakre's name. I inch closer to her and she seems to calm down, allowing her to continue the story. "That's where all of the questionable practices and beliefs seem to come from... the issue about the wings, the general hatred of human interbreeding, among other things... in fact, the rumour is... Sakre started all of them."

This is very tough to believe. How, and why, would he do all of this?

"However..." Tarif says, "no one of authority... has ever seen him do anything... so that must be why the elder... suspects nothing. Not to mention that 'his' practices... seem to be spread throughout the entire town... even though not everyone believes them..."

"Either way," I interrupt, "I have to stop him. According to the rumours, what do you think he'll do to Idoun?"

The colour completely drains from Sophia and Tarif's faces, and I completely understand; the disturbing grin he flashed, his choice of victim, his final offhand comment...

Sakre plans to rape Idoun.

* * *

The three of us remain silent. I'm trying to make sense of the situation while Sophia lightly adjusts her robe and Tarif subtly gazes in her direction, the beginnings of a blush reddening his face. Forgetting the situation at hand, knowing nothing bad will happen until tommorow, I smirk, knowing that Tarif desperately wants to say something, but he's too shy to actually say it. So, to see what he'll do, I causally mention to him, "Tarif, is there something you wish to say?"

His eyes widen at the comment, and his blush increases in intensity when Sophia faces him and smiles sweetly. I wonder if she has any idea about his feelings for her. "Tarif," she says to him reassuringly, "if there's something about the situation that we need to know, you can say it."

"It's... not that..." he replies nervously. "I was just... thinking..."

"About what?" I say with innocence in my voice. The smirk on my face grows into a full-fledged grin as he tries to find his words, and I wonder if I'm playing with him just a bit too much. In the end, I decide it's for his own good, knowing that he wouldn't have said anything if I hadn't mentioned it.

"Well... I just wanted to say... Sophia, thank you for helping me... and..."

I know he wants to stop, but I'm not letting him. Giving him a glance that's basically telling him to hurry up, he finally has the courage to finish his thought: "and... you look... really cute with those wings..."

Immediately after speaking, Tarif turns his away from both of us, eager to avoid Sophia's eyes. I can tell that Sophia really appreciates the comment, though, based on the big smile spread across her face.

* * *

Author's Notes

I have GOT to stop introducing new characters. Don't worry; he's the last one, I swear! :p The word 'Sakre' means 'sordid' in Filipino.

I just happened to reread the first chapter, and I noticed a third-person reference I forgot to remove/fix. In the words of Stephen Pastis: "I shall fire my editor". Oh wait... I have no editor! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Throughout Fire Emblem history, dragons have had TONS of different types of wings; many from dragons of legends and fantasy, some from birds, and a couple from other creatures. Why not insects? I wanted something that would fit Sophia's personality as well, so a butterfly was the obvious first choice. I think you'll agree with me. :D

Well, I've been needing to get Roy and Idoun closer somehow, and trust me, it's gonna happen next chapter. BIG TIME. Unfortunately for you guys, that will have to wait. I'm ALREADY getting new ideas for stories. It's ridiculous. Well, better to write than suffer from writer's block. I'd be halfway through chapter seven sitting without progress. I don't like inactivity; it sucks, it really does. You fellow writers would know that.

For my next project, I need to get a character right that I've gotten wrong twice before. Can you guess who it is? One instance is much more obvious than the other. This isn't actually going to be a one-shot, but I won't unload more than one chapter in a row.

Apparently, the 'I'm not going to announce what I plan to do anymore' thing has been abandoned. That was quick. :p


	9. Chapter 7: Exposed

Chapter 7: Exposed

I can't sleep. At all. Even though the day ended on a good note with Tarif hinting his feelings for Sophia, (without her getting upset) I still know that Sakre plans to do horrible things to Idoun in the morning, and for the life of me, I can't understand why. Is he just crazed? Does he have ulterior motives?

Regardless of the reason, I need to clear my mind, so I decide to talk a walk through the temple just to think about things. When I arrive at the library, however, I'm surprised to find Pyra sitting on a chair, quietly humming to herself while reading a book. Who can read at this hour?

"Pyra," I whisper, "what are you doing up?"

Looking up from her book, her face beams with a big smile before motioning me to sit beside her, and I happily oblige, knowing the company will take my mind off of things. "Couldn't sleep either?" she asks in her normal voice, and I nod solemnly. "I know you told me about Sakre, but... don't worry about Idoun... I know you will help her. Is that why you're up?"

"Yes."

"Please, let me help you!" she suddenly pleads with me, desperately grabbing my shoulders. "I... need to redeem myself as a friend for her."

I raise an eyebrow at the comment, and she suddenly gives me a look that suggests that she mentioned something she wasn't supposed to, but when her eyes begin to tear up a couple of seconds later, I ignore it and simply hug her instead. Immediately after I embrace her, she starts crying in my arms, and I can't help but wonder what might have happened in the past to cause her to have this reaction now.

It doesn't matter now. All I know now is that my plan cannot fail to help Idoun... and to hopefully expose Sakre.

"Roy, I don't know what your idea is, but I... sniffle... have a suggestion..."

* * *

The next morning, I get up extra early (after getting very little sleep yesterday) and hide by Idoun's room with Tarif, waiting for Sakre to arrive. Sure enough, he appears, stealthily traversing the hallway before quietly opening the door and entering. Closing the door upon entry, I can hear him lock the door, but I'm prepared for that; Pyra suggested I secretly loosen the hinges on the door in case he locks it so I can barge through when needed.

The plan is for Pyra to hide in the ventilation hole (she's the adventurous type) and Sophia to hide under the bed so they can see and hear what Sakre is doing, plus the two of us will be out here listening as well; it's hard to dispute what four eyewitnesses say and agree on. Then, when the timing is right, I'll break through the door and stall for time with Sakre while Tarif runs to get the elder. Hopefully, the elder will see the truth about Sakre, and he'll be out of the temple for good.

As I ponder the effectiveness of my plan, however, I hear evil laughter inside the room, so I begin listening to what is going on inside.

"So... we're alone now," I can hear him saying. I wonder how Idoun is reacting to this...

"Heh heh! Don't be so afraid, Idoun. I take care of everyone I work with..."

"No..." I hear Idoun whisper in response, and even though I'm not a violent person, an indescribable anger rushes through me, and now I want nothing more than to punch Sakre in the face. However, I can't go inside, not yet. I need just a bit more evidence, and I feel horribly guilty for not entering right away, but...

_Idoun... just hold out a bit longer..._

"Since your soul was destroyed, you're useless! And not to mention, completely defenceless. However, you are still more than adequate for me to use for my own purposes..."

This is when I smash the door down.

And stare in horror.

"You!" Sakre yells in surprise, "why are you here?"

While Sakre hasn't actually begun his sordid act yet, he's definitely getting started, and without even thinking I knock him onto the floor, where he hits his head and falls unconscious on top of Idoun's discarded robe. This is Tarif's cue to go summon the elder, and for the two girls to emerge from their hiding places. As Sophia climbs out from under the bed and Pyra pulls herself out of the ventilation hole, I worriedly look at Idoun, noticing her face is as white as snow and her body is shaking violently from the situation. Sophia and Pyra both take a step in her direction, hoping to calm her down, but she only steps away in fear, so I decide to try and soothe her myself.

"Idoun?" I quietly ask while outstretching my hand, hoping she'll take it, but she merely continues to stare at me. She must have lost all faith in people around her, and once again I feel intense guilt for not intervening sooner. "Can you take my hand?"

Silence.

"Please?"

Amazingly, she actually steps closer to me before hesitantly grabbing my hand, and I smile with relief. Little by little, we close the gap between us, and I slowly embrace her when we finally meet in the middle. She immediately follows suit, and I can feel her shaking subdue itself as she continues holding onto me. If this happened to anyone else, they'd probably want to cry, or at least do something to release their emotions somehow...

But Idoun can't.

Can she even feel emotions right now in her current state? Fear, obviously, and slight twinges of happiness as well. But as far as pain and sadness? That's still probably beyond her, and I'll bet that these feelings are simply getting bottled up, and growing steadily as days go by.

They'll have to get out somehow.

And if they're not released normally... something bad is going to happen to her.

* * *

When Tarif finally arrives back with the elder, we tell him what Sakre was planning to do, and the elder just listens with shock and disbelief on his face. After the explanation, Sakre starts stirring from his "slumber", and when he's completely awake, he angrily stares at us while nobody says a word. Finally, the elder breaks the silence...

"Sakre..." he mumbles, "how... could this be... the letter..."

Wait, what is this letter? Could that be related to the "very reliable sources" he mentioned yesterday?

"_I_ wrote the letter, genius!" Sakre replies furiously. "I'm a near flawless master of imitational penmanship, and I hoped you wouldn't notice the difference between _my_ writing and the scrawl of your precious informant! And yet, this guy," he shouts, pointing at me, "figured out I wasn't the real deal!"

Informant?

"Tell me this, Sakre," I interrupt, "what was the point of trying to rape a defenceless woman? Why Idoun?"

He merely laughs at my question. "Well, good sir, and I say that sarcastically of course, everyone has needs. I merely needed a suitable victim to fulfill them."

"NEEDS? You try to do this because you have _NEEDS?!_" I yell, and he backs away in surprise. I don't know where this outburst is coming from, but I can't control my anger right now. If this was someone else like Sophia, I know I wouldn't be _this_ angry, but maybe it's because Idoun is completely helpless; not able to do anything until her soul recovers more. She can't protect herself, and if she was in trouble, she wouldn't even be able to call for help. This guy must have a perverted and sick mind to think about this kind of stuff and still attempt to pull it off for completely selfish reasons.

"I don't want to see your face here ever again!" the elder shouts now, stomping his foot in authority, and I'm thankful he's finally realizing the truth. We'll tell him about the rumours of the practices Sakre started later. "You are hereby banished from Arcadia! May Narga judge you unfit for living!"

"Hmph. Suit yourself. By the way, _boy_, I didn't completely answer your question."

And he simply walks away.

* * *

"Well, what I want to know," Sophia says to me, "is why Idoun is so attached to you. You've only been in each other's company for a few days... but she seems to trust you more than anyone else here."

Actually, now that I think about it, I'm wondering that myself. There are three people here who have associated with Idoun ever since she's arrived, not to mention the other workers in the temple who have been helping her live for many weeks. And yet, Idoun, a girl in nothing but knickers, is looking to me, a boy, for comfort, right after another boy not much older than I am (in looks, not age) tried to defile and deflower her. I know Sophia means no malice to me in her question, but it really makes no logical sense when you think about it.

In a way, though, I feel honoured that she trusts me this much.

"I don't know," I reply tentatively, "but that doesn't matter. All that matters is that Idoun's okay now."

I look towards Pyra to see if she has anything to add, but she merely grins in my direction instead.

She knows something that I don't.

"We'll just wait and see, I guess!" she wholeheartedly replies. "By the way... why did you need Sakre in the first place?"

"Well," the elder answers, "our head caretaker is sick, and she is in quarantine until further notice. I needed someone at the last minute, and..."

A messenger interrupts him out of nowhere and hands the elder a sealed letter, mumbling something about "sorry this is late", and when he leaves, the elder opens it and reads it, eyes widening as he goes on. When he finishes, he hands it to me so I can examine the contents myself.

"_**Beware of a boy named Sakre from the outskirts of town. He is selfish, and will do anything for his own self-centered needs. He may also try to imitate my letters. Make sure you know the letter is from me before following what it says."**_

This was addressed two days ago!

"Yes, well, this is my fault, and Roy, please forgive me for not believing you... I'll explain everything another time..."

While I'm suspicious of this informant, the elder was just trying to do what was best for others, so I don't doubt his reasoning and resolve in that regard. That is a quality I respect from him. "No, that's fine," I reassure him. "I know you meant well."

Happy that I am not mad at him, the elder leaves, leaving me with Tarif and the girls. But Pyra simply shoos Sophia and Tarif out of the room before saying, "I'll leave you two alone for a minute. Can you get Idoun settled, Roy?"

I nod in affirmation before Pyra leaves me with Idoun, who's still holding me for reassurance. She's not really shaking anymore, or at least until I try to leave, which then causes her to start shaking more. I feel really sorry for her... she must be really traumatized by this experience. I'll hold onto her for the rest of the day if I have to. She deserves that at least.

"Idoun," I murmur softly, "you think you can get back to the bed?"

She shakes her head, so I warn her, "I'm going to pick you up. Don't worry," before pulling her into a princess hold, and while she widens her eyes in surprise, she doesn't get disturbed by the sudden change in posture. After getting in position, I sit down on the bed while still holding her, and our eyes meet. I've never really taken the time to examine them, but the differing colours are really intriguing, and within them, I see genuine trust.

Right now, I feel like an older brother comforting his little sister.

"Don't worry, Idoun. I'll stay here for as long as you need me here."

* * *

Author's Notes

NO, I WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT GOING TO HAVE SAKRE ACTUALLY RAPE IDOUN. I honestly didn't expect as much of a reaction about the rape as I got from people. Shows how much I know. Sorry if the chapter was a tad disturbing, but realism was... somewhat needed. :( I've never been this dark before. Don't worry, it won't happen again. I promise.

I'm going to have to thank everybody's buddy Gunlord500 for helping put things into perspective. As well, because of what he's said, I've completely changed Sakre's situation and (to be explained in the future) reasoning for his foul deed. Thanks for helping me keep the right attitude!

Originally, this is why I wanted to write Idoun: she's essentially an in-game character with the possibilities of an OC personality, so she cannot be written OOC for this reason. However, I see now that I can write her in a way to make the story really touching, and I'm not ashamed to admit I was deeply touched by this chapter in how Idoun sees and views Roy. Which leads to my next point...

LordEphidel wondered a while ago why Idoun is so taken to Roy, and I alluded to this in Sophia's question. I cannot give an answer, however, until close to the end of the fic itself, so that will still be a while. As well, Sakre won't be coming back until closer to the end as well, where we'll learn more about him. Which AGAIN leads to my next point...

"_**Hmph. Suit yourself. By the way, boy, I didn't completely answer your question." **_This line from Sakre is important. He is clearly withholding information.

Time to write more for Perspectives. At least that's happy happy happy. :p


	10. Chapter 7x: Embarrassment At the Lake

Author's Notes

Sorry for the wait! This is a mostly silly chapter. BEWARE uh, I mean enjoy the change of pace!

* * *

Chapter 7x: Embarrassment At the Lake

Idoun finally falls asleep in my arms after a while, but I really wouldn't have minded waiting longer if need be. I know my mother did the same for me when I was young, and considering what just happened to Idoun, I think she needs the comfort of someone to put her at ease. At least now she's stopped shaking.

Gingerly placing her onto the bed, I quietly leave so she can get some rest, and I can see Pyra patiently waiting for me, worry evident in her eyes. Was I really gone that long? "Is Idoun all right?" she asks me, and I nod in affirmation, causing her to sigh in relief. "I was just worried about her. She was very tender even before her soul was destroyed... and I just fear that she may have..."

"No no, she's perfectly fine now. Just sleeping." Now that I think about it, now might be a good time to ask about Idoun's calmness around me. It really makes no sense. "Pyra, Idoun seems very attached to me, and logically, it makes no sense, even though I don't mind myself. Do you know why?"

Once again, Pyra simply gives me a knowing grin, and I immediately know she's not going to tell me. She can be quite sneaky sometimes. "Well, I think you'll just have to find out for yourself," she slyly replies, and she winks at me before leaving me alone in front of the room. Oh well. It doesn't really matter, I guess. Right now, I just need some sleep.

* * *

After a quick nap, I go to the kitchen to grab some mangos for breakfast, and while I eat, the entirety of the temple's residents walk by me excitedly. Where are they going? I'll have to ask the elder, who just happens to be walking by me now. "Where's everyone headed off to?" I inquire, and he merely gives me a sad smile. "Because of the... situation that happened today," he responds glumly, "I decided that maybe we need to get out and enjoy ourselves. I gave everyone who lives in the temple leave to go and swim at the lake near the sandstorm border, although I didn't tell them why. The Divine Dragons of old blessed this small city to be fertile, and we need to appreciate what we have more often. We are very fortunate..."

"Look, I know you feel guilty. Please do not beat yourself up over it. You care about others, and that's why you're the elder here, right?"

For the first time today, the elder smiles at me, and after thanking me for the reassurance, he follows the rest of the temple tenants to get ready and depart. Speaking of which, I need to get ready; I might as well go enjoy myself. I didn't even know there was a lake! I guess Astol was just _really_ brief in his tour of the city...

CRASH!

Whoa! An excited Fa knocks me down with tremendous force! I know she doesn't get to leave the temple very often, so this must be a very special treat for her. That's probably why she was running so fast without looking where she was going.

"Fa's so sorry!" she hurriedly says to me, and I can see the tears start to form in her eyes. "Fa was just so happy to go to the lake, she didn't see where she was going!"

I immediately begin tickling her, and the tears completely disappear as she laughs her sadness away. I don't want her to think I'm angry with her; far from it! She's a little kid, (a little dragon kid, but still) and such a cute one at that. I can never be angry at her.

"FA! The tickle monster is going to get you! Bwa ha ha!"

Fa simply ignores my silly threat and instead just tries her best to escape my tickling wrath. I can already tell she's forgotten about the little incident, which was my plan. However, I'm much stronger than she is, so she can't really do much more than struggle. Eventually, I release her, converting her into a giggling blob of delight on the floor. It's an adorable sight to watch.

"WHEW!" Fa giggles, "that was fun! Fa hopes you'll play with her again sometime!"

Thank goodness. I was worried that I would have ruined Fa's day if I hadn't distracted her, but she seems okay now.

"Sure. I'm looking forward to it!"

I start examining the room for no apparent reason, and I'm surprised to find Idoun observing the entire scene from the hallway. And she seems to be enjoying it as well. I guess watching a young girl getting tickled is amusing?

"Oh! Idoun!" Fa shouts when she notices Idoun, rolling to face her while still giggling away. "Roy was the (hee hee!) tickle monster! He (ha ha!) might get you too, so watch out!"

"You know, Fa, I don't see you complaining," I joke, and when I face Idoun again, I notice her expression has changed. I can't quite place what it is, but it seems to be a sort of... longing, for something. "Idoun? Is something wrong?"

Her look is concerning me; not for fear of something bad happening, but some other feeling I can't explain. Maybe I'll feel better if I find out what's concerning her?

"Fa, is there anyone else left in the temple but us three?"

She thinks for a moment. "Uh... nope! Just Fa, Roy, and Idoun!"

"Well then, let's all go to the lake together! Idoun, are you coming?"

Not responding, she simply continues to give me that saddening look of longing, and so I approach her and give her my hand. To my surprise and relief, she beams at me, and the two of us walk side by side, holding hands, with Fa excitedly on our heels.

* * *

Fa eventually leads us to the lake, and thanks to a shortcut, we arrive at about the same time as everyone else.

It's kind of exciting, actually; I haven't gone swimming for the longest time, and today's heat makes for the perfect weather to do so. Everyone seems to be planning to swim in just their undergarments, I guess, including Pyra, whom every boy in sight stares at as she joyfully jumps into the water first. The funny thing is, she probably has no idea she's teasing the entire male population every time she does something, due to her carefree and oblivious nature. I have to admit that even I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes away from her flattering figure, and finally, it's Fa waving a hand in front of me that snaps me back to attention.

"Yes, Fa?"

"Pyra sure is bouncy, isn't she?"

_Bouncy?_

I'm not even going to ask what she's talking about.

"Uh... Fa," I hastily interrupt, "Where are you going to go?"

"Fa's going to play with Sophia! Sophia said she'd play a game with Fa!" And then she immediately runs away to find Sophia. Speaking of which, I haven't seen Sophia since this morning. I wonder if she's with Tarif? My question is quickly answered when I notice a lone tall, skinny shadow with large wings approaching me, and for some reason, I decide to have a bit of fun.

"BOO!" I shout, pivoting on the spot, and he basically jumps five feet in the air before crashing into a heap on the ground. I didn't think he would react so strongly, so out of pity and guilt I quickly help him off the ground, even though I'm still somewhat laughing to myself at the over-exaggerated reaction. "Sorry Tarif, but I didn't think you'd jump so high!"

Surprisingly, he actually chuckles. "Well... I guess I overreacted a bit there... I'm a bit of a jumpy person once in a while..."

"By the way, you've known Pyra for a while now. Would you consider her as "bouncy"?"

"Bouncy?"

After some... explanative gestures to explain what I assume Fa was referring to, he turns beet red in response. "You're... seriously asking me that?"

"Uh huh."

"Oh, no question about it."

"Seriously, how can a woman that skinny have such a hu..."

At this point, the realization of Idoun listening to us causes me to shut my mouth and blush in embarrassment. I should just change the subject. This is probably the only time I've ever been happy that Idoun is not her normal self. Otherwise, the conversation would be very awkward... guys talk about guy things occasionally...

"Roy... we should not be staring at those..."

"Er, yes."

"Although... now she's coming this way..."

Directly for us, I see.

"Hello everybody!" she happily greets us, group-hugging the three of us enthusiastically. "I'm so excited we're all here at the lake! I didn't find out why everyone was coming here today, but I thought I should join in! Even someone as _bouncy_ as me," she continues, putting large emphasis on the word 'bouncy' and grinning like a madman, "needs to relax once in a while!"

Tarif turns even redder than before, and I blush again as well, embarrassed that Pyra somehow knows about our conversation. She must have supersonic hearing. To my surprise, however, she simply laughs at our reactions, and her expression makes it seem like she's... flattered?

Pyra is really confusing sometimes. How can she not be offended by this conversation?

"Hee hee, boys will be boys! But Tomato, you shouldn't be thinking about your sister that way!" she humourously teases Tarif, wagging her finger disapprovingly at him with mock disappointment on her face. "People will look at you strangely!"

"You don't know my father before he met my mother... I've heard some... disturbing stories from him about how he viewed _his_ sister..." Tarif quietly responds, and I'm just amazed at the way this conversation has turned. Tarif is Pyra's BROTHER?

"Pyra, are you really Tarif's sister?" I ask disbelievingly, and she once again laughs. "Nope," she replies, "but he's basically my little brother, and I'm basically his big sister. Tarif, what happened to Sophia?"

She's totally playing with Tarif's mind now, but I don't think he knows that. "I haven't seen her all day, but..."

Fortunately for him, (not for anyone else) rain suddenly begins falling from the sky, causing everyone to exit the lake for fear of lightning. Only in Arcadia can there be occasional downpours and rain-showers to keep everything hydrated; another provision from the Divine Dragons of old. The elder mentioned that to me during my first short trip here throughout the war.

"Oh... rain. Got to go, I guess," he says, quickly fleeing the scene before Pyra can question him further, and I chuckle at his eagerness to leave. He's usually so passive; this intensity of his is rare. "He left pretty quickly, didn't he?"

"He's just shy, you should know that Roy!"

I notice Idoun with her eyes shut, shivering from the cold rain, and I give her my cape to cover herself with. She seems grateful that I did that, but I may be imagining it.

"We should head back, I guess..."

Instinctively grabbing Idoun's hand, the two of us plus Pyra walk together back to the temple, with Pyra giving me an encouraging look while eyeing Idoun beside me. I'm not sure what came over me. I didn't even think; I just grabbed Idoun's hand out of habit. I wonder why?

It's probably that bright smile she always gives me afterword.

* * *

Author's Notes

Another gaiden chapter! We DID learn a few useful tidbits about all our main characters. Since it's been forever, I thought some light-heartedness was needed, plus with the rape from last time hanging over everyone's heads and whatnot.

I almost went even farther with the antics of Pyra and her... bounciness, (recognize one of Tarif's lines from "You Really Like Me?" :p) but it's ALREADY going too far. And of course, I apparently don't care. I think I'm being influenced by all this stupid romance manga I'm reading. (I JUST CAN'T STOP) Whenever there's a beach scene, no matter how clean the manga is, (I will NOT read 18+ manga; it's perverted useless garbage that poisons your mind) there's always some fanservice. I give readers permission to explain why I'm an idiot for actually including dumb stuff like this. :D Constructive stuff only, though! Compliments don't hurt either!

Not much story happening, but I think I'm going to start moving it faster than it's been going. The thing is, I'm running out of ideas. This is not good writing practice, but I actually make up ideas as I go. When I start a story, the only things I know are the beginning, the end, and a couple details in-between. That's it. I can't know everything! However, the good news is that Idoun is starting to get kind of clingy to Roy, and Roy's starting to see Idoun as more than his dependant now!

I'm proud of the epic phrases I used in this chapter: "laughs her sadness away", and "giggling blob of delight". I should just get the Pulitzer now. And in my world, group-hugging is now officially a word. :p

I hopefully will not need to say this again, but now the official plan is one chapter of AGOH, one chapter something else, (specifically, finish up Perspectives) one chapter of AGOH, one chapter of something else, (specifically, something new) rinse and repeat. Phew! I talk way too much sometimes.


	11. Chapter 8: Sand

Author's Notes

Now that I've basically lost all of my readers, it's time to start fresh!

* * *

Chapter 8: Sand

The next day, everybody goes back to the lake so that we can actually enjoy ourselves this time; yesterday's rain pretty much ruined our chances of having fun. Of course, it's not like we didn't find ways to amuse ourselves back at the temple, but the majority of the residents were quite disappointed. Generally, the temple residents have to actually _stay_ at the temple to keep the temple in a near-flawless state for worship, which is why they don't get to go out much. I only get leave because I'm a guest, (as well as Pyra and Tarif; I'll have to ask why he's one) and since Idoun still can't do anything, she's allowed to have a chaperone with her and go anywhere near the temple grounds.

Anyway, at the lake, the sun is brightly shining, and hopefully it will stay that way.

"Hi Roy! Ready for a day of fun?" Pyra calls out from the distance, and I blush. During the rest of the day yesterday, Pyra had kept flirting and making jokes about Tarif and I's... observations, and while nobody else had any idea what we were talking about, the two of us were embarrassed and blushing beyond belief while Pyra 'innocently', as she put it, laughed at our behaviour. What a day that was.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing your job or something?" I call back to her, and she laughs. "I already said that I'm entitled to a day off once in a while," she replies, "and besides, I get to interact with you humans in unique ways here at the lake, just like yesterday! I learned some _very_ interesting things about you and Tarif! Good for the report I'll have to write eventually!"

"You! Leave!" I yell jokingly while waving her away, and she laughs again as she goes to talk to some of the other temple tenants. I don't think she has the capacity to be offended. It must be nice to have that mentality.

As I continue thinking, I decide to simply sit in the shallow waters and lay in the warm sun. It's very relaxing. It's so relaxing, actually, that I truly believe I can sit here for the entire day without doing anything. I guess I have to worry about getting burned or hungry or drowned by the tide accidentally, though. On second thought, I conclude that it is a better idea to simply lie in the fresh grass instead.

Not a minute after I lay down, my warm sun is covered by Tarif's shadow as he walks by, and when he notices me on the ground, he joins me for lack of anything better to do. The more the merrier, I guess. I relate Pyra's recent conversation with him, and he blushes, as usual. "I probably should have mentioned this before... but Pyra likes to tease sometimes..." he whispers quietly.

"Yeah, I got that."

Slowly, I re-establish myself into a sitting position to watch everybody swimming. I wonder what Idoun's doing? I haven't seen her since yesterday. She's probably watching Fa playing around in the sand building a sandcastle or something. Bet that won't last long. I can't see Fa sitting still long enough to actually keep the castle in decent condition.

"Hey, Roy... what are you thinking about?"

"Sandcastles."

He laughs at my answer. "Seriously?"

"Yep." I think I know what _he's_ thinking of. "You thinking about Sophia?"

Bulls-eye. He's blushing again. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Nodding sheepishly, he mutters a "yeah..." before sadly shaking his head. He is clearly uncomfortable with the subject, but the expression his eyes are making shows that he really wants to talk to somebody about the situation. "But what would she see in me? I'm wimpy. I'm whiny. I'm weak. No one likes me..."

"That's not true!" I interrupt, and he looks at me with surprise. What, does he think I'm lying to him? "You have friends here, including me!" I say while gesturing to myself. "And there are definitely things about you Sophia would like. Firstly, you're both half-human half-dragons. Secondly, if Sophia didn't enjoy your company or feel comfortable around you, she wouldn't talk to you. I know this from when we were in the war. And lastly..."

I hesitate. I've been very impromptu for this entire monologue, but this is about as far as I've thought ahead. I have one more point I want to make, but it's risky...

"And lastly, if she knows you care for her... I believe she will begin to feel the same way towards you. I also know this from experience."

I'll admit it. Sophia and I... we were in love with each other during the war. However, due to certain circumstances, we decided to not pursue the relationship any further, and I believe we are very, _very _lucky to not have any ill will towards each other. Making the trip back to Arcadia together (along with the others) after the war confirmed that we are perfectly fine being friends, and I'm grateful that things worked out for the best for the two of us.

However, I have a feeling those two will actually have a chance at staying together.

"I swear that to you, Tarif."

* * *

After some more sitting, we start to get bored, so we unanimously decide to go swimming. We get there quickly, and we join the large crowd of people jumping around in the lake enjoying themselves. Later on, after what seems like hours of playing, (it was probably only half an hour or so) we exit the water and collapse on the grass, munching on some mangoes dropped from the many trees above. Apparently, only a couple of minutes of rest is enough for everyone to rush back into the water; everyone except me. I don't have the energy yet. Watching them go, I realize that I have no idea where Tarif is. I seriously doubt he's with everyone else in the water, so I guess I'll have to find him.

Walking around the parameter of the lake, it's only a few minutes before I come across Idoun watching Fa... build a sandcastle. What a coincidence! Perhaps if I start day-dreaming about flying pigs, I'll see one in the sky later. Either way, Idoun seems to enjoy watching Fa in the sand. In fact, she's even playing with it herself, laughing as she lets it slip through her thin fingers and onto her lap. Unlike everyone else, she's wearing a white, though partially transparent, robe over her undergarments, which was probably Sophia's idea due to the situation. I'll have to thank her later.

"Enjoying yourself?" I ask, and Idoun smiles at my presence before nodding yes. Sitting beside her, I start examining the sand myself, marveling at its soft texture. The lake seems to be surrounded by a mixture of sand and grass, although there are more spots than not where the two are separate. "The sand here is really soft."

This earns me an inquisitive glance from Idoun. "Soft?"

"Soft, yes... um, think about your hands," I say, taking her right hand and slowly rubbing the top of it near her knuckles. "You have fine skin that is very soft to the touch. Can you feel how your hand and the sand are almost the same?"

I meant for her to compare with her own hand, but instead, she grabs mine! I can sense her smooth hand exploring my skin, and I can tell she is really taking her time throughout the entire process. For about five minutes she seemingly studies it. And then, she removes one of her hands and touches the sand, causing her face to droop. "It's... not the same..."

Chuckling, I grab her hand touching the sand and rub it on her other hand myself. "Idoun, my skin is rougher than yours. I meant for you to check with your own!"

At this point, we're both holding each other's hands, and nobody seems in a hurry to let go. Her skin is just so soft and delicate; it's a really pleasant sensation.

"Roy, I like your hands..."

I remember now that I was going to look for Tarif, but I can't seem to leave Idoun at the moment; her smile is simply too bright to ignore. As I slowly relocate a stray piece of hair from her forehead, she simply watches me, and without even thinking, my face moves closer to hers...

"Idoun! Roy! Come see Fa's castle! It's amazing!"

Fa's interruption makes me realize that my face is only inches away from Idoun's, so I shy away from her as she looks at me curiously. What was I about to do? Was I... actually about to...

"Come on! The water might break it soon!"

Hesitantly, the two of us get up and walk towards Fa and her sandcastle, and I must say that it's quite impressive. Unfortunately, when Fa notices us, she runs at full speed in our direction before accidentally crashing into it, turning the castle into a sandy pile of nothingness. "NO! FA BROKE IT!" she cries out, and I laugh to myself as I pull her out of the sand prison.

"Fa, are you okay? The castle looked really good before you... bumped into it."

All of a sudden, just like yesterday, a rainstorm cuts our conversation short as (once again) everybody runs back to the temple for shelter. Groaning to myself, the three of us dejectedly follow the crowd, and then I begin to think about today's events with Idoun.

I don't think our relationship will ever be the same again.

* * *

Author's Notes

The entire scenario starting from when Roy began explaining softness to Idoun to Fa's interruption was REALLY HARD to write. I don't know how to make it better, but it clearly needs improvement. I used the words 'sand' and 'hand' way too many times, and differentiation between which hand was which and stuff like that was also poorly done in my opinion. Hopefully people at least understand what the heck I was trying to explain. This is, in fact, not one of my better chapters, I believe.

I'm pretty sure that refreshing-ness is not a word, but I used it anyway. :p And a friend of mine likes to call me "The Three Ws": Wimpy, Whiny and Weak, the inspiration for Tarif's lack of confidence, or at least a part of it. No, Tarif is NOT a self-insert of myself. The only thing we have in common is being tall.

Anybody hear about how someone was accused of plagiarizing Perspectives? Thankfully, I found out the accused author wasn't, so everything's good now. Don't you guys get any ideas! I don't have anything of value to copy anyway. :p

I updated my profile, in case you didn't see at the end of Perspectives. I deleted a subheading and added a new one at the end giving (useless) reasoning as to why you should read certain stories. Give it a read for some laughs! Maybe it will inspire you to read some of my other stories, if not keep you away from them. :D

Sorry to tease everybody with the (almost!) kiss from Roy, but I need to write another one-shot before I do anything else!


	12. Chapter 8x: Family Ties

Chapter 8x: Family Ties

"I... almost kissed Idoun today."

Since arriving back from yet another failed day of fun at the lake, (although it was more successful than yesterday's attempt) I just can't get the almost-kiss out of my mind. This is the first time, really, that I saw Idoun, not just as someone I'm trying to help, but for who she is; a beautiful girl who, I must admit, am attracted to.

As I think about my actions, Tarif stares at me in astonishment, clearly amazed at my confession. I know I'd react the same way if he told me the same thing about Sophia! "R-really? I thought that you two had... a sort of bond, but..."

"Yeah, I'm surprised too," I interject, and I immediately say after that, "sorry for cutting you off, I'm just confused."

"No harm done."

Fluffing up the pillow behind me, I contemplate how the incident will change our relationship. Idoun is an extremely fragile girl, and I fear I'm simply getting ahead of myself. I seriously doubt that Idoun could understand love, or even attraction, and I don't want to take advantage of her, especially since others have already done so, even if it was for different reasons. My reason is much more innocent, but the principle is still the same.

"I'd ask you for love advice, but I don't know if I can trust the advice of someone who can barely speak to his crush without his face turning red."

Laughing at my joke, Tarif replies, "yeah, good idea... I'd ask Pyra instead."

You know, I would bet gold she already knows. She seems to know _everything_.

"Excuse me?"

The soft voice and a knock on the door interrupts our conversation, and I pick up the pillow I'm using while mouthing the words 'say nothing' to Tarif. When I'm sure he gets the message, I let Sophia into the room, who gives me a confused glance when I open the door. "Well, it's always nice to see the two of you, but..."

Looking around, she finishes, "but why are the two of you... in my room?"

I could tell her it's because of her soft pillows, (the one I'm holding, due to unfortunate timing, is a white one with little pink hearts on it) but that would be too embarrassing, even though it's the truth. Seriously. They're _really_ soft.

"We were... bored," I say unconvincingly, and she giggles at my hesitance. "Sure," she responds. "Nice pillow. Where'd you get it? It suits you."

"I took it from Tarif. He was sleeping on it," I say teasingly, and Tarif starts waving his hands to try and deny my obvious joke as I continue, "it's got a nice scent to it! Maybe that's why he took it!"

"That's my perfume," Sophia chuckles, and looking back at Tarif while she laughs, it looks like he wants to bang his head against the wall. I'm only doing this for his own good. I know what Sophia finds cute and what she finds creepy.

"Uh... uh... ROY ALMOST KISSED IDOUN!"

Suddenly, the room falls silent, and I quickly glance over at Tarif, watching him squirm over his act of desperation to change the subject. Considering it's only Sophia he blabbed to, I don't really care, and I simply nod in affirmation to the accusation. "Yes, it's true... I'm not sure what came over me..."

Unsure of how Sophia would react, I'm happy to see her smile with genuine warmth at my confession. "Perhaps, Roy, you are... moving on?"

Tarif looks at me quizzically, and for good reason. He doesn't know about Sophia and I's past, and while I did say that we have absolutely no hard feelings towards each other, once in a while, I still wonder what could have been; in fact, I just discussed this with Sophia yesterday.

"Who knows. Well, I'm going to head out now. See you guys later," I quickly answer before exiting the room; almost shutting the door behind me, but keeping the door open just enough to peek inside. When I see Sophia immediately join a surprised Tarif on her bed and begin chatting with him, I smirk to myself before leaving for real.

* * *

As I wander the halls, a strange feeling overcomes me, and I walk into the library on a whim. Not sure what to expect, I sit down at one of the tables, and looking around, I notice a pretty girl with light-turquoise hair, calmly reading a book a couple of tables across from me; she obviously notices my glance, so she waves me over. When I join her at the table, we suddenly lock eyes before mine widen in disbelief...

...I cannot believe what I am seeing.

_She looks exactly like my mother!_

Are my eyes playing tricks on me? No, mother's dead... but it's almost like she's sitting in front of me! There _is_ something different about her, but I can't put my finger on it...

"Ahem..." I finally sputter, awkwardly coughing into my fist. "I've never seen you before. Who are you?"

"I... I'm Tavia," she slowly answers, "but many people call me Tavie. I'm sorry for being so awkward, but something about you looks or sounds familiar..."

You're telling me.

"My name is Roy... and believe me; you look more familiar to me than I do to you..."

Suddenly, my pocket starts feeling really hot, and I fumble around to find out what it is; in fact, it's my mother's dragonstone! It's almost burning in my hands, and when I bring it out onto the table, I notice that Tavia's done the same, except with her own bright turquoise stone. The two of us then watch disbelievingly as the two stones float into the air and stick together like two pieces of a puzzle.

"What the..."

The newly created stone then stops glowing before it slowly hovers onto the table, and we simply stare at it, both confused as to what happened. We sit like this for what seems like minutes, until...

"DID YOU KNOW AN ICE DRAGON NAMED NINIAN?"

...we both shout out the same question at the same time.

I gesture Tavia to speak first.

"...Ninian was my twin sister..."

Twin sister? No wonder they look almost exactly the same. Now that I'm looking at her again, her eyes are just a bit of a darker shade than my mother's were; that's really the only thing I notice that's different about my new aunt, and while I am not used to it, it really seems to suit her.

"...well, you're... just as beautiful as she was..." I sincerely compliment her, and my eyes begin to tear up uncontrollably; for some reason, I don't even care about holding back right now, and before I know it, Tavia is sitting beside me, embracing me as I cry into her shoulder. That stone is definitely affecting our emotional states, because pretty soon Tavia's eyes are watering as well.

"Roy, you must have really cared about my sister..."

Her voice is a little deeper too.

"Of course I did... she... was my mother..."

Tavia gasps in surprise before giving me another once-over. "Wait, you're... her son? That must be... why your voice, is so close to hers..."

So that's what she thought was familiar. I remember my father telling me once that I partially inherited my mother's soothing voice, and while I thought it was kind of silly back then, I believe him now, just from Tavia's words.

"Roy, I can see her in your face as well..."

Now Tavia's bawling beside me, and to make matters worse, I notice Pyra walk into the room. How embarrassing. I feel so stupid, but the two of us can't seem to control ourselves. Surprisingly, though, instead of laughing at us, she actually hugs both of us before starting to cry herself!

"What's... wrong?" she sniffles, and without waiting for an answer, (not that she was going to get one) she squeezes us even tighter. The three of us probably look like a gross sobbing mess.

"WAAAA!"

You know, I remember from the book of the Divine League that Pyra was a compassionate person, but to go to this extent...

Wait a minute... the book...

I never looked up Idoun's entry!

"Whoa!" I say, removing myself from the two girls, and I take off like lightning, running to my room and dropping Sophia's pillow to look up Idoun's entry in the Divine League book. I hurriedly flip through the pages, skipping Narga, Pyra, and Oscar, but the next page causes me to stop and only stare in horror:

**Tavia, Investigation Unit of the Elemental Trio**

_**Note: This position was originally occupied by Tavia's twin sister, Ninian, before she committed her traitorous act and was forced to leave the League.**_

* * *

Author's Notes

What a plot twist! I'll explain more next chapter, so don't worry!

I have to give credit to DragonDamsel for the idea of Tavia, even if it wasn't in the way she was intended. In one of her reviews, DragonDamsel mentioned how she hoped that Roy's grandma was the ice dragon of the elemental trio; "that would make things deliciously awkward." I told her it was a cool idea and that I thought of something similar earlier, but in the end decided not to do it. When I started writing this chapter, for some reason, I changed my mind. And poof! Tavia exists. :p

The whole situation in Sophia's room was simply me adding some more fun to the story. I have silly moods sometimes. :D The entire situation with Tavia was mostly serious as well, (I put a LOT of effort into making that section convey emotion) but once Pyra joined the mix, that's when I got silly again. I do, however, have reasonings on why Roy and Tavia acted how they did. And by the way, Tavia, according to my baby names website I do name research on, means "twin" in Scottish.

Remember Pyra's entry in chapter 4x? It justifies her reaction to seeing Roy and Tavia, (whom Pyra obviously knows!) but I will re-enforce that quality of hers again in a future chapter. It is needed for storyline later.

I was looking through the whole story to clarify a few things, and I noticed a TON of errors from chapters 1 to 4x. Holy crap, that's horrible. I notice it was chapter five when I changed my first person style, and it was chapter five when the errors went to almost nil. :/

Going to write the next chapter for my kissing booth sequel now! I don't know if it will be the last or not, though.


	13. Chapter 8xx: Information Overload

Author's Notes

I apologize for this chapter in advance...

* * *

Chapter 8xx: Information Overload

A traitor? What could mother have done? There is absolutely nothing in my mind that can tip off to me why she's been labelled as a traitor. Now that she's dead, it doesn't really matter, I guess, but it still hurts.

Perhaps the book will reveal more about the situation. I'll start again...

**Tavia, Investigation Unit of the Elemental Trio**

_**Note: This position was originally occupied by Tavia's twin sister, Ninian, before she committed her traitorous act and was forced to leave the League.**_

Wait, there's more to the note...

_**She will be dearly missed.**_

Missed? Something's not adding up. If mother was labelled as a traitor... why would she be missed?

Confused, I decide to simply read ahead about Tavia and worry about the situation later.

**While Pyra spends time with humans and Oscar watches them, Tavia researches them. Secretly investigating the continent's libraries for any information on the history of humans and events that took place, she is the final piece of the Elemental Trio's success. After she collects her data, the Divinative Duo are the ones who organize it and file it away for later use.**

**Tavia is an honourable and kind soul, much like her sister Ninian was, although once in a while she can get a bit temperamental, unlike Ninian, who could never get angry. However, because of the fact that she is, in fact, actually half-human, she is not allowed to have her experiences with humans influence the League's decisions, once again preventing bias.**

The rest of the page yields various pictures of Tavia and my mother, and seeing the two of them literally arm-in-arm in one picture really shows how much they indeed look alike. I wonder why mother never mentioned that she had a sister; perhaps revealing the fact would give too much away somehow? I was never told mother was a dragon for fear of the public opinion, so I suppose that makes sense, but still, it's a bit extreme.

And Pyra... she definitely knows something about this. She's probably worked with my mother for countless years, and she's working with Tavia currently! They'll be able to answer my questions...

* * *

When I get back to the library, I'm relieved to find both girls still there, except now they're talking to each other instead of crying incessantly. Pyra notices me first, and she happily waves to me as I approach the two of them.

"Roy! Welcome back!" she squeals, pulling me onto her lap, and I yelp in shock. "Now that we're not bawling like babies anymore, I guess you have some questions for us, right?"

Can she read my mind? And why did she pull me onto her lap? And why is she holding me so close to... her...

"Er, yes, I do!" I reply quickly while adjusting myself to face Tavia, who's simply smiling at me. "A couple of things, really. Firstly, I'm curious why... mother never told me about you, Tavia."

Tavia gives me a look of disbelief at this comment.

"Well, actually, I came to visit once; many, many years ago. You were still a very young boy, and we only met for a couple of minutes, so I guess you forgot. I came with Pyra, actually!" she giggles, and when I notice Pyra grinning widely, I fear that she is going to tell an embarrassing story about me from that visit. "Roy, although it may have sounded like I had no idea you existed just a while back... once you told me you were Ninian's son, I remembered everything."

I desperately try with all my might to recall a time when either of these women visited me, but I can't come up with anything. I must have been only a couple of years old; I only remember a few details of anything before the age of five.

"Do you want me to tell you about when we met each other?" she warmly asks me, and I excitedly listen as Tavia relates her tale. I sense genuine happiness in her demeanour as she speaks, and very quickly, all the memories of the occasion come back to me, and I begin my trip into memory lane...

* * *

**About 11 years ago, at the age of four...**

**I sit with my best friend and milk-brother, Wolt, trying our best to build the biggest tower possible with our favourite toy blocks. As the tower falls down yet again, I sigh in disappointment before starting again, but my mother interrupts us and picks me up into her arms, holding me close to her.**

"**Sorry," she apologizes, "but there's someone special I want you to meet. It's your aunt, Tavia. She's my sister!"**

**My eyes widen in astonishment. "Is she as pretty as you, Mommy?"**

**Mother chuckles at my compliment before answering, "actually, we look almost the same. You'll have to decide for yourself!"**

"**Well, I don't think there's anyone prettier than Mommy!"**

**When we enter my parents room, I see a young woman that looks identical to mother, other than her eyes, which are darker than mother's. However, they are friendly, and I immediately view her as someone I can trust for anything.**

* * *

"I... remember all of this."

"I'm glad you do, Roy."

I recall some more memories even after Tavia pauses for a moment...

* * *

**After a short conversation with Tavia and some goodbyes, I'm taken back to my room to keep Wolt company, who's been moping the entire time I've been gone. "Roy," he whines, crossing his arms, "the tower fell again while you were gone!"**

"**Maybe we should play another game?"**

"**We could wrestle!" Wolt suggests excitedly, and I immediately tackle him to the ground. We're both really weak due to our age, so we aren't worried about getting hurt. After a while, the fatigue of playing gets to us, and we lay on the floor, laughing.**

* * *

"Okay!" Pyra interrupts, "it's _my_ turn to talk now!"

"Wait a second..."

I'm ignored as Pyra continues the story from her perspective and more memories emerge from the depths of my mind...

* * *

**Suddenly, the two of us are warmly embraced by a beautiful young woman in a low-cut, sparkling red robe, and we simply stare at her in wonder and amazement.**

"**Hello boys!" she greets us, and I take in her appearance. She has the brightest smile I have ever set eyes on, with flowing red hair reaching down to her back and smooth skin that is soft to the touch. The most remarkable thing, however, is something about her that I've never seen on another woman before...**

"**They're so... big..."**

"**Much, much bigger than **_**our**_** Mommies'!"**

* * *

"Did... we... really... say... that..."

Rubbing my forehead, I sigh in frustration. By now, Tavia is visibly chuckling, trying her best to hide her laughter behind her hand, and Pyra is smiling with her eyes closed. "Yep!" she gleefully replies. "Let's keep going!"

Seriously? _Why_ do we have to keep going?...

* * *

**Surprisingly, the woman frowns before releasing us, waving her finger, and condemning us: "Now boys, every lady is pretty, no matter what they look like. Don't place me above them. One day, you're going to meet a wonderful girl and get married just like your daddies. You'll fall in love, and you'll want to spend the rest of your life with them, but you won't do it because they don't look a certain way? What would your mothers say? How would those girls feel?"**

**Neither of us have an answer to the question, and so we bow our heads and apologize to the lady. Quickly, though, she pulls us back into her grasp and fondly kisses our cheeks. "I'm sorry; I just want the best for you. Can you forgive me?"**

**We nod appreciatively, thankful for her kindness, before sharing in another big group hug.**

* * *

"Roy, you've definitely matured since that day... and I know Ninian would be proud of you."

I can see the pride in Pyra's eyes, showcasing the confidence she has in me, and it is encouraging to know that someone believes I've turned out to be a good person. Perhaps it was a good idea to have this conversation. I'm actually seeing Pyra in a different light; it feels good being the recipient of her kindness and attention for the first time.

"Alright, we're almost done the story of the visit!"

Wait, there's more? Oh, I'm starting to remember it now...

...uh oh...

* * *

"**That being said, I feel very lucky that I have the body I have. Be sure to tell your future love every day that you find her beautiful..."**

"**Lady, what's your name?" Wolt asks politely, and she smiles, responding, "My name's Pyra! I'm a friend of Auntie Tavia and your mother, Roy."**

**As she finishes speaking and we end the group hug, both Wolt and I's stomachs growl simultaneously; it must be time for lunch. That means Rebecca; Wolt's mother and my wet nurse; should be coming in soon to feed us. The woman laughs at us as we look around, blankly waiting for the door to open and for Rebecca to appear.**

"**Are you waiting for Rebecca?" she asks, and we nod sheepishly. At this, her face droops. "Rebecca's actually sick today, so she can't. It's too bad; I really wanted to talk to her a lot more. However..."**

**Before continuing, she undoes the top of her robe and exposes her entire chest, leaving Wolt and I completely bugged-eyed at the new view this unique woman's providing us. "Your parents gave me permission to take her place for today!"**

**After slight hesitation, we begin satisfying our hunger, and she says, "I think we're going to get along quite well. I hope I'll get to meet you again in the future..."**

* * *

_I DID this?_

Somehow, while listening to this horribly embarrassing tale, Pyra's actually pulled me closer to her body at some point, and to make matters worse...

...MY STOMACH GROWLS.

"Hungry?" she asks, and my face turns completely white, causing her to grin excessively. "You two went to town that day. Back then, I was warned that you two were big eaters, but I was still shocked! Wish you were still four years old right now?"

I break out from Pyra's clutches, and as I try to compose myself, (I fell on the floor during my escape) Tavia is no longer hiding her amusement, chuckling endlessly, and Pyra is almost falling off her chair from laughing so hard. I'm embarrassed and annoyed about how I never completely picked up on the fact that Pyra used this entire situation just to play this joke on me.

After Pyra finishes her laughing fit, she completely calms herself and guiltily glances at me before kneeling down beside me and hugging me tightly. "I'm sorry, I'm just enjoying myself. But I'm completely serious; you've grown into such a handsome, fine young man, just from seeing you for the past couple of days. I'm really, _really_ proud of who you turned out to be."

When she turns to face me, I see tears in her eyes; she's obviously moved by the situation. I can't even stay upset, watching that crying face sniffling like that.

"I'll let... you talk with Tavia now," she says, and kissing my cheek goodbye, she leaves the library, leaving the two of us alone in the room. Strangely, I notice the merged dragonstone flashing wildly, and I think I have a theory on what happened. The stone, sensing my mother was involved, must have somehow recalled my memories from long ago, although I wish they had stopped reappearing after things started getting awkward. And perhaps the stone also enhanced our emotions during our cry-fest. The elder was right. These dragonstones are _powerful_, even when not transforming its owner.

"...Pyra never ceases to amaze me."

"That's true," Tavia agrees. "It's just too bad. You're one of many children she's seen as youngsters that have eventually grown up. She wishes so badly to have kids of her own, but..."

My ears perk up at this. "But what? Are you saying..."

Tavia nods solemnly. "Yes I am. Pyra is unable to conceive children."

* * *

Author's Notes

First double gaiden chapter! Will it ever end?! I apologize for not even mentioning Idoun in this chapter! And there are still a bunch of unanswered questions!

I'll try and clarify about the flashbacks for you guys. (this also includes the one in chapter 3x, and any later flashbacks in the future) The flashback dialogue is exactly what was said at the time. The setting is based on what four year-old (or however old he was at the time) Roy saw, but is told by the current Roy. Do you think four year-old Roy knew the words "fatigue", "immediately", or "low-cut"? :D I hope nobody got confused when reading. Or that _I_ confused someone just now.

WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING. I apparently have not learned anything from chapter 7x. At the encouragement of what a reviewer said, I have decided to, dare I say it, HAVE FUN with this chapter. My guess is that the reviewer in question, when reading the chapter, was laughing his guts out while another specific reviewer was rubbing his forehead in frustration.

Don't worry, I tried to make the rest of it serious. (poor Pyra...) I'll try not to have this... "bouncy" humour (like chapter 7x) again in the future. However, I DID say that the awkward moments had plot significance, and I've only gone through two of Roy's six female supports so far! :D Man, I laugh out loud every time I read this chapter, but this is the most I've been afraid of what people will say in reviews, and for good reason! Yes, I'm even more afraid than chapter two of A Mutual Feeling!

In other news, time to finish my kissing booth sequel! Look forward to it!


	14. Chapter 9: Comfort

Chapter 9: Comfort

Pyra, unable to have kids? Due to how pitiful Tavia sounded when she said this to me, this must be something quite dear to Pyra's heart. Maybe that's also part of the reason why Pyra was crying when she left?

"How could she know such a thing?" I ask tentatively, causing Tavia to sigh.

"Well," she replies, "it's actually the reason that she was accepted into the Divine League. Pyra wanted nothing more than to serve the League because she just loves people, but she also has a dream to have a big family with as many children as possible; however, you cannot enter the League if you have or plan to have children in the future. If you have any sort of family responsibility, or plan to have any in the future, you must fulfill that obligation, no exceptions."

Interesting. This is probably the reason why mother had to leave the League! That's a relief.

"Narga knew how badly Pyra wanted to help people, so with her consent, he bestowed a... you could say, affliction on her, preventing her from conceiving, so that she could meet the requirements to enter the League."

It's obvious that helping people was a higher priority to Pyra than having the family she's always wanted, but is it worth cutting yourself off completely from the second option?

"Actually, I shouldn't say that she _can't_ conceive," Tavia continues, a smile returning to her solemn face. "But there is a difficult pre-requisite. She must have a husband that has at least some dragon blood, but must have been born in a continent other than Elibe, and therefore must be an entirely different breed of dragon; the Manakete."

My eyes widen at this new information. Other than the Dragon's Gate, the portal where my mother lived, (which is still on Elibe anyway) I didn't even know there were other continents. I'll have to research this later. And a different breed of dragon? "I've never heard of the Manakete before. What are the dragons here, then? And how is she supposed to find someone like that?"

"That's partially the point; she won't. Travel between continents is extremely difficult, purposely made that way to try and prevent war. She'll never find someone like that, no matter how hard she tries. And to answer the other question, Elibean dragons are referred to as Mamkutes."

The two of us sit in silence for a moment as I process this information. I feel sorry for Pyra, but right now, I also want to know about my own mother. However, before I can ask, a messenger runs into the room and hands Tavia a letter before quickly running off again. I patiently wait for her as she scans the contents of the letter, and when she's finished, to my dismay, she starts to get up from her chair to leave the library. "I'm sorry," she apologizes, "but the League has called for a meeting, and I must get Pyra and Oscar so that they can attend as well. I know you have more questions, but..."

"Please, don't worry," I reassure her. "You have things you need to do. We'll talk later."

Getting up out of my chair, I hug her tightly, and we both exit the library in opposite directions. I quickly realize, though, that we left the dragonstone back on the table, so I go back to retrieve it. Putting the stone in my pocket, I remember that I've never actually explored the library before, (another place Astol missed in his tour, I guess) so I decide to take in the scenery; it really is exquisite. The shelves are made with carefully hand-carved wood into the shape of various dragon-like entities, and huge staircases made of (what looks like) gold lead me to an upper level, filled with many more bookshelves, but also many lounging-type chairs and benches and other things of the sort.

Settling into one of the larger, softer chairs, I take delight in its comfortableness, and before I know it, sleep overtakes me...

* * *

...and I eventually awaken to the sensation of warm breath on my neck. Slowly opening my eyes, I'm surprised to find Idoun sleeping on my lap; her head leaning on my shoulder as her arms are wrapped around my torso.

"Uh..." I mumble, and she shifts slightly. I don't want to wake her, but I don't want to sit here either, so now it's basically a stalemate; the two of us waiting for the other to do something.

Bored, I observe Idoun's sleeping figure, since by coincidence I picked a chair that was facing the wall, which is not the most entertaining thing to look at. Idoun's taller than me, so she pretty much takes up my entire lap, but it's strangely comforting, I can't explain why. With her head so close to my face, I can smell the faint scent of strawberries on her hair, and upon further inspection, I notice it's still wet from being washed. Curious, I softly caress her silver locks...

I've never felt such silky hair in my life.

Twirling a couple of pieces in my finger, I marvel at the softness. In my other hand, I lightly message her scalp, eliciting an "mmm" from Idoun. For about ten minutes I play with her hair, periodically switching hands and doing other things with it before simply rubbing the top of her head.

"Roy..."

Idoun's murmuring catches me off guard, and to my concern, I see her face contorting somewhat as her body begins to lightly shake. Is she dreaming about something?

"Don't... hurt... me..."

Now I'm worried. I want to wake her up, but it can be damaging to a person's mental state if they are awakened in the middle of a dream, so I have to hold off for now.

"Help..."

And yet, despite my reasoning, I know that I have to do something now. With no hesitation, I pull Idoun closer to me, and without even thinking about my actions...

...I softly kiss her on the forehead.

Wait, what?

_Did I just do that?_

To my relief, Idoun's shaking stops, and her scrunched up face reverts into a sort of calm bliss, now allowing me to ponder about what I've just done. I kissed her on the forehead? Sure, she calmed down, but there isn't really a good _reason_ why I did it; it just felt like the right thing to do.

Could this mean... that I want to court her?

Not sure of what to do, I decide to close my eyes and think about what I'm going to do...

* * *

...and apparently, I fell asleep again, because when I open my eyes, Idoun is nowhere to be found, and instead a small note is on my lap. Wondering what's written in it, I open it:

"_**That was adorable! You owe me! Pyra"**_

Of course it was Pyra. It's _always_ Pyra. I'm not upset; it's actually kind of funny. She probably said something like, 'you should nap with Roy! He won't mind!' Obviously I don't mind, but it's kind of ridiculous how she actually watched (at least I think so) us to see what would happen.

Groaning, I stretch myself out of the chair, and to my surprise, another note falls on the ground, one I didn't notice. On the outside, there's a little notation saying the messenger left it next to the other note while I was sleeping, meaning that he came after Idoun and Pyra left. Opening the note, my eyes widen as I read through it. It is not reassuring in the slightest.

"_**Beware. Sometime between today and the next day, the issue about the wings will cause some in the outskirts to act impulsively. Use logic, and appeal to good nature to persuade them otherwise.**_

_**Give this to the young lord after the elder has read it."**_

This is from the informant! I recognize the handwriting. The elder showed me the real letters the informant sent, so I know this isn't one of Sakre's trick letters. Knowing I need to warn everybody about the possibility of an impending situation, I run down the stairs and exit the library, making Tarif's room my first destination.

If something's going to happen, it's definitely going to involve him.

* * *

Author's Notes

Woo hoo, another chapter done; a cute, non-awkward one at that! A lot to type today in these notes, (the most EVER in my writing career) so be prepared!

My "no guest reviews or I will delete them" policy has finally paid off. Third time's the charm, I guess. After posting chapter 8x, (which was two chapters ago but I forgot to mention this issue last time) a reader wrote a VERY ignorant guest review telling me why Tavia's existence is not possible, ending the review with WTF and signing his fake name, because he obviously did not want to be tracked. Come on. Did he REALLY need to do that?

Unlike the other guy, everybody's buddy Gunlord500 was actually NICE when expressing his concerns about Tavia. (Thank you very much!) Since the other guy's review, I decided that I need to address the canonity of the situation, so here it is:

It is HEAVILY IMPLIED, not FOR SURE, that Ninian and Nils are Nergal's children. This means that Ninian could have had a twin sister. That's obviously a very shaky foundation of a reason, but technically, it's true, so ha! :D

Now, let's assume that it is true that Ninian and Nils are Nergal's children, and Tavia cannot exist canonically. In case nobody noticed, _this story is already non-canon_. Yahn died in-game. In the story, he does not. (no, he is not the informant) So the first chapter already proves that this is a non-canon story, plus the addition of characters and the huge liberties I've been taking with what _is_ canon. So... yeah. Hope that clears things up!

Let's talk about something else! Anyone thought the "Manakete Mamkute" idea was cool? The "official" fan translation of FE6 translates as Mamkute, (and maybe other Japanese ones as well; I have no idea about FE1, 2, or 3, and FE4 and 5 called them dragons) but the games after (not counting FE7 because they were just called dragons) call them Manakete, including FE13! (which I'm VERY excited about!)

One big thing I noticed about this chapter is that I seem to have borrowed many ideas, words, or other things from past fics of mine, including my most recent ones. I wonder if anyone actually notices these things. Or cares. :p

Well, on January 15th, 2013, I FINALLY FREAKING FINISHED FIRE EMBLEM 5! I'm pretty sure I've been playing the game for 3/4 of a year (mostly on and off) or more, so for it to be finally finished is amazing. Overall, it is one of the best FE games I've played, but almost nobody has actually played FE4 or 5! (maybe, like, FIVE people have beaten FE5 in North America? EIGHT for FE4? :p) PLAY THESE GAMES. YOU WILL LOVE THEM. Although you will also want to destroy your computer because of how difficult they are. FE5 is the hardest FE in existence, with FE4 as the second or third hardest.

So, now that my Kissing Booth sequel has been finished and posted, that means my next story will be from FE5! Now, will anyone actually READ it? :p


	15. Chapter 10: An Old Friend

Chapter 10: An Old Friend

I get to Tarif's room, but then realize that he may still be with Sophia in her room, so I run there instead. When I arrive, I lightly tap on the door, and when I hear someone whisper, "Come in," I enter the room to find Tarif sitting up on the bed with Sophia quietly snoozing away on his lap. Do all dragons enjoy sleeping on other people? Apparently, it seems to be a trend. Next time, I'll probably find Fa and Pyra sleeping on each other's laps for no reason.

Holding a finger to his mouth to signify that we should be quiet, Tarif moves one of Sophia's pillows so I can join him on the bed.

"It's not what it looks like..." Tarif squeaks, and I smirk when his face crimsons. "We were talking, and next thing I know... she's sleeping! I can't wake her up, but I have to relieve myself..."

"Too much information."

With intense slowness, we roll Sophia off of Tarif's lap, and thankful for the ability to move, he stretches his legs gratefully. "Thanks... I'm not sure what I would have done."

Before Tarif can slip away, I sidestep in front of him and block the door, shaking my head. "I can't let you leave yet. Sakre's minions in the outskirts plan to ambush us sometime today or tomorrow, so we need a plan. You may want to wear that cloak for a while again."

At this the door opens and a messenger hands a note to me before running off elsewhere. We open it, and to our horror, the note is from the outskirts, telling us to meet there in the next ten minutes.

This isn't good. We don't have any time to prepare anything to say, but we have to leave immediately.

"Tarif, you go do your business, I'll round up some people. Hurry!"

Tarif takes off in one direction while I sprint in the other. I don't have time to find many people, but to my relief and discouragement, I literally crash into Pyra by accident, knocking her onto the ground. The impact hurt tremendously, but at least I found her, I guess.

"I'm so sorry," I apologize, helping her up. "We have to go. Tarif is in danger!"

I've never seen anybody's face whiten as much as Pyra's does after my comment.

* * *

Eventually Tarif, Sophia, Pyra and I arrive at the outskirts, waiting for the supposed mob that is meeting us here. Now's a good time to try and relax ourselves while we wait so our last minute plan can be executed properly.

"Pyra, I thought you had a meeting... and yet, I find this note on my lap?"

I show her the note with a raised eyebrow, and she laughs guiltily. "Well, I was on my way, see, and Idoun just looked so tired..."

"Don't bother explaining anymore; I didn't... mind, what happened," I reply sheepishly, and Pyra smirks at my reaction, but before we can continue, an arrow whizzes by my head, nearly puncturing my face. Searching around the premises to see who shot the arrow, my jaw nearly drops when I see my best friend, Wolt, running towards me.

"Roy! It's been forever!" he joyfully cries, messing up my hair to match the untidy greenish mop on his head. Despite the silly welcoming, I embrace Wolt, ecstatic that he's actually here. I haven't seen him since the war, and other than Sophia, he was the one I counted on most in battles at that time. He's saved my life many times, and in return I owe him mine if the opportunity arises for me to exchange. We've known each other since birth, being milk brothers and all...

Wait... uh oh.

I can feel the colour rising to my cheeks as I suddenly remember Pyra's horribly embarrassing story! Can I ever think of milk in a normal way again?

"Something wrong?" Wolt asks, cocking his head. "You hungry or something?"

"You know, Roy, if you _really_ need me to, I can help you with that, even though all these people are watching..."

I silently thank St. Elimine as our mob finally shows itself from the distance, allowing me to completely ignore Pyra's joke and everybody else's confused faces. "They're here!" I shout a bit too quickly, and we watch in dread as we notice the mob getting more and more in focus; there's about 50 dragonkin altogether.

And five of us.

"Roy, I know you were a great tactician for our army..." Wolt groans, "but I think we're outnumbered."

Gee, thanks. I didn't notice.

"Sophia! Show your wings now, please," I inquire politely, and when Sophia unfurls her beautiful butterfly wings, I notice Wolt's eyes widen as he takes in the colourful silkiness. Wolt had a slight crush on Sophia during the war, but he knows that we ended the relationship near the end of it. Perhaps he believes that he has a chance with her now?

If so, this is very bad news for Tarif.

"Sophia, I didn't know you had wings," Wolt compliments, and Sophia turns to face him. "They're beautiful. I'm glad I get to see you here."

Sophia smiles at Wolt, but before the conversation can continue, I point out that the mob is here, and that they do not look too happy. At the forefront is a tall fire dragon girl in tethered rags, standing confidently with her arms crossed and her scarlet wings flared with intimidation. While her face is soft, her eyes are filled with passion, and she seems like a no-nonsense type of girl. I fear for this confrontation. Hypothetically, if the two of us were unarmed, I believe it wouldn't be a stretch to assume she could easily hold her own in a fight.

"I wish to speak with your leader," she calls loudly, cupping her hand slightly in front of her face so her voice can carry farther. "But no fighting. I will keep my dragonstone in my sealed pocket, and you will give your sword to someone else. I don't want to cause any trouble."

"Neither do we," I shout back, and when she sees me give my sword to Wolt, she begins to walk towards me. I follow suit until the two of us meet in the middle, and when we are out of earshot of both groups and the prying eyes of the mob, her passionate eyes completely reserve themselves, much to my surprise. In fact, her whole demeanour changes; she almost looks scared.

"Are you okay?" I ask worryingly.

"I'm not normally like this," she explains, shivering slightly. "Hardcore and strong-willed and stuff, but I'm trying to be brave to impress a boy I like by being the leader of this mob. Either way, though, there is a situation we need to discuss..."

"Yes, the wings issue," I finish for her. "What I don't understand is why there is an issue at all, and nobody has offered any information to clear up it up with me."

"There was a law..." she starts, "that was passed many years ago. Only Fire Dragons could display their wings... to signify that they were weapons of destruction. Perhaps I should start from the beginning. Originally, there were only Divine Dragons, and then Earth Dragons and Ice Dragons came into existence later; no one knows why or how any of this happened. There was a war between two different mixed tribes, and because no one wanted to sacrifice the lives of others... Fire Dragons were created as tools of war..." she explains with a sniffle.

This is an incredible story. How come no one has told me any of this? It's like I'm on a 'need-to-know basis' list or something, or that everything I learn is being made up on the spot.

"Anyway, Narga thought that it was terrible what the two tribes were doing, so he ended the conflict between them, and all of the remaining Fire Dragons were transformed so that they were normal like the other dragons, instead of mindless killing robots, figuratively. Again, this was a very long time ago, before The Scouring even. The most recent war that just finished; you know how it was only Fire Dragons fought, or so I heard from the rumours and tales? The 'soulless' ones, you could say, could still be created."

While this is all fascinating to listen to, I'm lost as to what her point is, and she must notice my confused face, for she seems to shift gears slightly in her reasoning. "However, this is all the past. There is no longer a need to signify the difference between the manufactured dragons and the real dragons, but the law about the wings was never removed. Some of the dragons are jealous us Fire Dragons could show our wings while no one else could."

Understandable. I'd probably be jealous too.

"Have you ever seen an Ice Dragon's wings?" she asks, and her eyes brighten. "They are as crystal clear as the ocean. Such a strong icy blue colour. And yet, Ice Dragon's aren't allowed to display them, such beautiful wings." She sniffles again before continuing, "Obviously, the wings are always there in dragon form, but only for emergency travel could they be displayed for human form, which all dragons are in for the majority of time."

I'm starting to get the point now. This almost random law is unknowingly segregating the dragons, and taking away one of their rights. No wonder some of them are so upset.

"A couple of your colleagues are breaking the law, technically, without consequence, so the point of this confrontation was to hopefully get that law annulled, at least here in Arcadia."

It's a little confusing, and it seems like more clarification will probably be needed on both sides, but I really see no problem in abolishing a law as useless as this one. Not that I have the power, of course, but I'm sure the elder would love to see peace return, and he would be more than happy to do what is reasonably necessary to attain it. Arcadia is a symbol of peace, and to keep it that way is the best course of action, no matter what.

"I will implore the elder to change the law," I respond assuredly, bowing to show my respect. "It took a lot of courage to do this. Did you really need to have this mob of people, though?" Scanning the waiting mob, I continue, "you gave us a bit of a scare."

"...I guess not," she replies hesitantly, "now that I see how... nice, you really are. We were convinced by a tall, intimidating Fire Dragon to..."

"Sakre?" I guess, and she nods, causing me to sigh and close my eyes in frustration. Sakre is really starting to get on my nerves. He could have easily had a meeting with the dragons of the outskirts before leaving Arcadia for good.

"I don't want to talk about him right now..." I moan, "but I'll explain another time. And as for that boy you said you were doing this to impress, forget about him. If the person you love isn't going to love you for being you, it's not worth it. It's something... mother used to tell me..."

Swallowing uncomfortably at the mention of my mother, I persuade the girl to meet the rest of my group, which has grown since my departure; the elder has shown up, with Fa and a lagging Idoun behind him. At some point I realize we do not even know each other's names, I ask her after offering mine.

"Janani. So, is there anyone in this ragtag bunch that you like?" she teases, probably referring to the advice I gave her a minute ago. "There must be a reason you told me all that stuff."

When I don't answer immediately, she stops me and grabs onto my shoulder, pointing at the girls. Grinning widely, she asks again, "Which one of those girls is it?"

I obviously know the answer, but I playfully 'him and haw', so to speak, until she begins to pout with impatience. "...it would be Idoun, tall girl with the silk robes and light violet hair. Hey, now that I think about it, you need someone else you may want to like now, right? How about the really tall dragon boy over there?"

Let's face it. If Wolt and Tarif are both vying for Sophia's attention, I don't believe there's any chance that Tarif will come out on top. Wolt can actually remain composed around most women.

Janani examines Tarif for a moment, and then chuckles. "He seems like a nice guy, and I would love to meet him. I've never spoken to a Manakete before," she says, straightening out her ragged clothes to make herself more presentable, "but he looks much more suited with the other girl over there. They look quite cute together."

Something in the middle of Janani's sentence strikes me as odd, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Deciding to ignore it, I run ahead to inform everybody of our guest, just to see Sophia come back from somewhere. When did she leave? And where did she go?

Hmm. Suspicious.

"Everything's fine. We have nothing to worry about," I tell everyone, and everybody sighs in relief. "We didn't need to go through with the plan. I just need to talk to you, elder."

* * *

Author's Notes

Man, it feels like forever since I wrote a chapter for this story. It's nice to be back, though!

**"This is an incredible story. How come no one has told me any of this? It's like I'm on a 'need-to-know basis' list or something, or that everything I learn is being made up on the spot." **This is me completely making fun of myself. In some ways, the audience is like Roy, not knowing things until needed. Plus, many things ARE made up on the spot. :p Not everything, though! The big picture is well-known in my brain already!

Janani, according to my site, means "heart and soul" in Arabic. It's a pretty bad tie-in, but she did mention the "soulless" Fire Dragons and such, so it kind of fits. Plus, the name's really cute. I can see my "no new characters" promise is working wonderfully. :D

More dragon lore. I love this stuff! Even if pretty much none of it is canon, it really makes the story a lot more interesting.

I finished FE13 sometime between chapter 9 and this chapter, (SO AWESOME) so time for a FE13 story... or is it? Right now, I have three plausible ideas for a story, but all of them involve spoilers, and I still think it's too soon to reveal that type of information. Either I'm going to have to come up with another idea, or write something for a different game. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. You'll just have to wait and see!


	16. Chapter 11: Invitation

Chapter 11: Invitation

As our entire group makes their way back to the temple to finalize the law abolishment, I can't help but think about the last thing Janani said; she mentioned one or two things that strike me as odd. After tripping on a rock, though, I give up on figuring it out and determine that it is a much better idea to keep my eyes on the path.

Or, apparently, the back of Wolt's head, since he's decided to unexplainably stop walking in front of me.

"You okay there?" I ask him, and he lazily turns his head around to see me. "Have I gotten so boring that you've lost all will to walk?"

The two of us snicker at my pathetic joke, but it's just what is needed to lighten the atmosphere around us, and pretty soon we're laughing out loud while everyone else looks at us strangely. We eventually calm down, and then Wolt says to me, "I'm sorry, I'm just thinking about a few things. Firstly, that girl, Pyra, said that she had a story to tell me that I would enjoy..."

"Do yourself a favour and skip the story..." I reply, groaning and rubbing my forehead. "She's an incredible woman, and there are very few people that could match her happiness and energy. However, she really likes to tease... and if you try turning the tables on her, purposely or not, she'll take it in stride and make you even _more_ uncomfortable." I finish, recalling the first day we went to the lake.

"Er, okay, I'll just assume you have a reason for telling me that," Wolt chuckles before frowning. "I was also thinking about Sophia... she's beautiful, smart, and cares for others. Why did you break it off with her?"

There really isn't a complicated reason why we stopped pursuing our relationship, but for some reason, I never really wanted to tell anybody. However, since Wolt is my best friend, I believe he deserves an explanation, especially if he wants to try and start something with Sophia himself.

"The fear of separation," I answer solemnly. "If one of us had died during the war... the other person would be devastated. We didn't want to run the risk of inflicting that pain on our significant other, so we ended it for each other. We're still great friends today, though, so I'm actually quite happy that things turned out the way they did."

And now that the continent is at peace... who knows, maybe I'll end up courting Idoun in the future. I can see her in front of me now, contently observing the scenery around her as she walks. It's strange; I enjoy simply watching her do things. She's just so interested in whatever she does; I think about back at the lake when she was watching the sand fall through her fingers, and then later when she was examining my hand with such inquisitiveness.

I guess I've just learned a bit about the real Idoun's personality; she's curious about everything.

"Hello? Roy?" Wolt says, waving his hand in front of my face to catch my attention. "You just spaced out there for a bit. What is it that you are..."

Wolt starts to watch Idoun as well, just as she begins to stretch her lithe body against a tree, unknowingly showing off her small curves to the both of us. And not just a quick two second thing either; she's changing positions a couple of times too. There is no logical reason as to why she is doing this in front of us.

Wonderful timing, Wolt. Seriously.

It's not as bad as it sounds, though. One time, I had to give an important message to one of my friends, Lilina, but she was just starting this physical health stretching routine called "yoga" or something like that. Knowing I couldn't interrupt her, I had to stand there and wait until she was done. I eventually got the message to her, after the hour of watching her do things I didn't know the human body could do... although, it only felt like ten minutes. Either way, at least Idoun isn't in her undergarments, unlike Lilina was...

They seem to have similar flexibility, though.

"Idoun! Is your back feeling better now that you've stretched?" I hear Sophia shout from behind me, and when Idoun nods, I smile. To my delight, she warmly smiles back. It seems there was a reason, then. Nevertheless, Wolt is still watching her, and now I'm wondering why.

"She looks familiar," Wolt explains, scratching his chin in thought. "Have I met her before? The name sounds familiar, too..."

"Remember the Dark Dragon?" I answer before explaining the entire situation to him. Nothing is left out from the explanation; I refer to the Divine League, the happenings with my mother's dragonstone, everything about Tarif and the other new people I've met, among other things; basically, my entire experience here in Arcadia. After finishing the story, Wolt is fascinated at the tale, and he jokingly explains that he's so interested because the only thing he's done since the end of the war is travel the continent, which is apparently much more boring than what I've been doing.

"I'm glad I can make your life more exciting, Wolt." I finish, right before the two of us start laughing together again, just like old times.

* * *

Back at the temple, the elder talks for a few minutes with Janani, and eventually they come to an agreement to abolish the "wings law", as it's officially called. With her mission accomplished, Janani says goodbye to us, but not before flirting with Wolt for a bit. When she's done talking to Wolt, she gleefully begins to return to the outskirts so she can declare the good news to everyone there. Watching her go, I raise an eyebrow in Wolt's direction.

"She thinks I'm handsome," Wolt clarifies, pretending to style his hair. As I chuckle at the joke, a messenger appears and hands me six letters before scurrying off elsewhere. Looking at the official seals, the two of us eventually deduce that it is the insignia of Ostia, and one of the six letters is addressed to me. Opening the seal, I read the contents out loud:

_**To Roy,**_

_**This is Lilina! I have some wonderful news; I'm getting married to Oujay! We're going to have an official wedding, and I would love to see you there! I know you're in Arcadia, and I've sent invitations to our friends who are there, too. Everyone is allowed to bring one guest.**_

_**See you soon! I'm really excited to see you again!**_

_**Lilina**_

Lilina wrote this letter herself; I recognize her neat penmanship. We look at the other letters, and see that they are addressed to Sophia, Astol, Igraine, Fa, and Wolt himself. I'm surprised they found him here, actually.

"Oh my, it's only in a couple of weeks," Wolt notices, pointing on the bottom of the letter. "We'll have to leave tomorrow if we want to get to Ostia in a reasonable amount of time. We'll probably arrive only a few days before, at the most."

* * *

An invitation to a wedding... wow. That's exciting. I've been to some really boring weddings in my youth, but when you are friends with the person getting married, that's something completely different.

"I'll guess we'll have to pack, then."

With the inclusion of a guest per person, we can even bring all of our new friends along. After discussing it a bit with everybody, we've decided to work it this way: my guest will be Tavia, Sophia's guest will be Idoun, Astol's guest will be Tarif, Igraine's guest will be Janani, (she wants to see the world, but I bet she wants to meet some new boys too) Fa's guest will be Pyra, and Wolt's guest will be Oscar. Oscar had insisted on coming, saying it was part of his duty, as well as Pyra's and Tavia's apparently, but my guess is that he was getting so bored with watching us that he wanted a change of scenery. I wouldn't put it past him.

Not that it matters. The only thing that really matters now is getting to Ostia in time for the wedding.

* * *

Author's Notes

It's been a while, hasn't it? FE13 has been filling pretty much all of my video game time. I'm not sure if I'll ever put it down.

I actually have nothing to say about this chapter. That's a first for... any of my stories! :p The only thing I could possibly say is reread some chapters if you need to refresh your memory on something? I just hope I included everyone important to the wedding list, plus the couple stragglers in for the ride. Oh yes, I almost wrote a fic on Lilina and Oujay once, but it never materialized. I'll write one about Oujay someday, but for now I'm not sure about Lilina.

I've started playing Lunatic mode on FE13, and it's kicking my butt. I've had to look up on YouTube how to beat the first bunch of chapters! I'm about to start chapter 3 at the Feroxi gate, so I hope I can do it on my own without watching the chapter being beaten by someone else. Thank Nintendo for Frederick! I ignored him completely on Normal, used him as a partner for a while on Hard before dumping him, but now he's kingpin. I have to somehow wean myself off using him... maybe YouTube will show me how. :D

Well, if anyone read my FE13 fics, you'll remember that I had a surprise for AGOH readers to make up for writing an extra one-shot: I'm going to write the next chapter of AGOH early! After just one upload onto the site instead of two, you'll be getting your fix of AGOH! The story will return to its original programming after. Plus, the next chapter will be more focused on Roy and Idoun! Isn't that exciting?!


	17. Chapter 11x: Love and Marriage

Chapter 11x: Love and Marriage

The trip goes off without a hitch; we're able to leave Arcadia the next day. After travelling for many uneventful days, we hit the Lycian border, and during a torrential downpour, we set up camp at an empty farmyard, most likely abandoned during the war. There are no sign of crops growing for miles, and the barn itself is in bad shape, but it is sturdy and large enough for our entire group to sleep in, not to mention dry. We are thankful for this, because it means we don't have to put up tents, except for two used for changing clothes. People generally like their privacy when they do that, although Pyra doesn't seem the least bit concerned when she forgets (or so she says) to close the tent flap... and leaves it open.

"Does she do this all the time?" Wolt inquires, turning away from the tent in embarrassment, but it's hard when all of us are completely bundled in blankets due to the cold interior of the barn. Tarif and I are having a difficult time looking away as well.

"She's done worse," Tarif recalls, his face reddening profusely. "Worse than... what Roy's experienced."

You know, I've never really asked about Tarif and Pyra's past. They are on very familiar terms with each other, and apparently they've known each other for years, which is especially interesting since Pyra hasn't been to Arcadia in a long time; decades ago, she told me once; and Tarif only came to Arcadia a couple of years ago from an unknown location. There seem to be some secrets being kept, but what could they be?

While my intention is to think about these things, reality kicks in when Fa jumps onto my lap and nearly knocks the wind out of me.

"Hi Roy!" she greets me, bouncing uncontrollably in place. "Can you come over to where Fa is planning to sleep? Fa and Idoun want to ask you some things!"

Idoun is curious about something? Even though she never really said anything before anyway, Idoun has been unusually quiet during the duration of this trip. Maybe in these few days, she's been able to improve her mental capacity? Or, it's also possible that something is nagging at her mind that she is unable to relate to others, thereby causing the silence.

"Well, if you can roll me over there, I'll be happy to talk. I'm kind of tied up in here..." I remind Fa; I don't believe she's actually noticed how incapacitated I am in these blankets. "Wolt, why on Elibe did you actually _take up_ Pyra's offer to tuck us in?"

Wolt grins in response. "If it was going to be a problem, why didn't you stop her?"

* * *

Eventually, Fa pushes me over to a different corner of the barn where Idoun and Janani happen to be, although I already knew Idoun would be there. Janani's sleeping, and Idoun's sitting on her knees watching a spider build its web on the wall. She scuttles closer, and cocking her head in curiosity, extends her hand to the spider. When it climbs onto her hand, she gasps lightly, but soon giggles as it starts crawling around. It must tickle a bit, I guess.

"Fa brought Roy!" Fa shouts excitedly, and Janani begins to stir from her slumber. Yawning, she stretches her arms, and when her eyes open, she covers herself with her blanket in embarrassment.

"Oh! Hello again, Roy! I didn't know you'd be over here..." she mumbles awkwardly. "If I had known, I would have worn some more clothes! Or at least a shirt."

"Sorry about that, Janani," I apologize, struggling against my tangled blanket to try and free myself. "I can't exactly move, no thanks to Pyra, so Fa just rolled me over here. Apparently, her and Idoun were wondering a few things..."

Hearing me mention her name, Idoun looks over in my direction and politely waves, accidentally shaking the spider off of her hand. Thankfully, her reflexes are fast enough to catch it in mid-air, and so she moves it towards its web and lets it go free to prevent further harm.

"Fa wants to learn about marriage!" Fa suddenly exclaims, starting to bounce on top of me again. "Fa thought to ask Igraine and Astol, but they're too busy for Fa to answer!"

So... she thought _I_ was the most suitable alternative?

"Well, I'm not really experienced with marriage, but I'll give it a go," I offer, and I notice now that Idoun's sitting much closer to me than before. As well, there seems to be that longing in her eyes again, much like the time when I was playing 'tickle monster' with Fa.

"I might as well listen in," Janani mumbles, changing positions so that she can see me better, but still taking care to cover herself. "I'm not sure I'll be able to go to sleep again for a while, now that I'm awake."

Now that everyone around me is ready to listen, I start my explanation, making it up as I go: "Marriage... marriage is when two people who love each other very much want to form a sacred union with each other. They vow to love each other forever, take care of each other, and usually start a family."

Janani puts her hand up, unconsciously dropping her blanket. "But Roy," she interrupts, "you don't need to be married to start a family! All you need is to..."

"Yes, I know that," I cut her off, looking away so as to not draw attention to her slip. "But we don't exactly have to get into that sort of thing right now."

I'm _not_ going to be the one who explains to Fa and Idoun about the wyverns and the pegasi. I'm also going to make sure it's not Pyra, either.

"Anyway," I continue, "Janani, you don't have to put your hand up if you want to say something. Just speak your mind."

Janani sighs in relief and her eyes reserve themselves. "Sorry, I'm just used to a more uptight circumstance. My family is a little strict, and if I speak out of turn, they get angry. It's nice not having that pressure here." She sighs again, twirling a piece of her hair. "Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll find somebody at the wedding that will let me marry them so I don't have to worry..."

Shaking my head at Janani's logic, I say, "No. You'll regret it the rest of your life. Marriage has to be based on love..."

"Love?"

All of us widen our eyes in shock, because it's Idoun who said that word!

"What is... love?" she repeats, and once again, that longing is in her eyes. What could it mean?

I clear my throat a bit before speaking. "Really, love can be interpreted in many ways," I explain thoughtfully, "but I think this sums it up pretty well: you have a special affection for them, you'll do anything to see the other person happy, and you will always have someone there for you."

She continues staring.

"Love is one of the most gratifying emotions in existence. To experience it... you will never regret it."

Idoun seems satisfied with my answer, because her face starts to beam with a warm smile. I'm glad that I can do that for her. She always seems happier than most people whenever she smiles. It is pretty refreshing...

"Whoa! You're much bolder than I expected, Janani!" a voice interjects, and we find it belongs to Pyra, who's grinning from ear to ear when she arrives on the scene. "Don't you feel a draft somewhere?" Pyra comments, tugging suggestively at the front of her robe.

"What are you talking about? I don't... AHH!" Janani shrieks, noticing she's been exposing herself to me and the others for a while now. I apparently didn't notice that she didn't cover up! Well, she's certainly burying herself in her blankets now! "Why didn't anyone say something?"

Pyra laughs before directing our glances towards herself. "Alright, let's stop staring at Janani. Roy, what's with Idoun?"

Glancing over at Idoun, I notice that she's leaning against the wall, smiling dreamily at nothing in particular. What is she thinking about?

No matter what, it's still nice to see her so happy.

* * *

Author's Notes

Another chapter, another explanation of my actions, another step closer to TRUE LOVE!

Alright, I admit defeat; I have, in fact, become a dirtier writer. I honestly have no idea why or how this happened! This trend started before I got FE13, so that's not it. Either way, it's still unsettling.

I'm trying to add a bit more to the setting of the story now. The giant paragraphs in the beginning, plus the little escapade with the spider, and even the little blurp about Janani twirling that piece of her hair; that's me trying to flesh out the surrounding events more. I know there are so many other things I could do, but I hope you guys are at least noticing an improvement.

Roy's summary on what love is? That's pretty much taken out of chapter two of At First Sight, if anyone notices.

I added another new sub-heading to my profile: My Requests! Check it out! PM me if there's something you have in mind! I've done a few already, but at least now I won't forget any.

I'll be gone on vacation in a week, so after my next one-shot, you won't see anything from me for a while. I'll have internet access, but no access to Microsoft Word, where I write my stories. Hopefully you guys can manage! Although, if you're having a "thank goodness he's gone" party, save me a piece of cake. :p

My next one-shot's going to be VERY interesting! Stay tuned!


	18. Chapter 12: Castle Gates

Author's Notes

There's a surprise in this chapter! A guest shall be joining us today!

* * *

Chapter 12: Castle Gates

Ostia. It's been ages since I've last been here. During my most recent visit, I was fending off traitors to the throne... but this time, I'm celebrating the marriage of one of my best friends. Now, the wedding is still a few days away, so our entire group is allowed to stay at the castle for rest and relaxation. Or at least that's what the letter I received yesterday tells me.

Apparently, the guard posted at the front gate doesn't believe us.

"You bear the crest of Pherae," the guard notices, tapping the insignia on my breastplate, "but you have the makings of a brothel owner; all these girls following you without complaint. I don't think that's very noble of a noble, wouldn't you say?"

Sure, I have almost the entire female cast of our group behind me plus Tarif and Wolt; Astol and Igraine went into town to explore and Oscar is hiding somewhere; but that is not something that should be assumed! Who is this man, anyway? He is completely destroying my moral character! It doesn't help when Pyra is purposely batting her eyelashes behind me either! Great. Now he's smirking.

"Listen, I don't want to cause any trouble," I calmly respond, "but I am telling the truth. These are simply my companions."

"Yeah, and I carry a magical rock that talks. Look, I'm going to have to test whether you are telling the truth or not. If you are really Prince Roy..." the guard challenges, pulling out a Killing Edge and holding it out towards my neck, "you'll be strong enough to hold your own against me."

I examine this castle guard with fear. Swordmasters are not common anywhere, but to have one as an Ostian guard instead of a General? This man is intense. He's easily close to Tarif's height and quite lean as well, but judging from his stance, he must be extremely quick on his feet. The large collection of medals on his uniform and the streaked silvery black shoulder and chest armor do nothing to ease my apprehension either. Finally, looking at his piercing blue eyes staring into my soul and his long, matching coloured hair sticking out wildly everywhere, it is plain to see that he is not to be messed with. I must approach this carefully.

Before I can begin thinking of a plan, though, the guard starts laughing hysterically as he puts away his sword. Was he pulling my leg this whole time?

"Prince Roy of Pherae... you should have seen... your face!" the guard breathes out between laughs, and soon after, he recomposes himself and offers his hand to shake, which I take hesitantly. "My name is Cormag, leader of the Ravenstaff Squadron of Ostia Castle. This squadron of mine has just recently been birthed after the conclusion of this recent war. I used to be good friends with Lord Hector, but then I left to explore the world, and didn't return until I heard about his... death." The thought causes Cormag to sigh. "I wish I was here when it happened. I could have protected him, or at least seen him one last time. Nevertheless, now my job is to protect his wonderful daughter, which I can assure you is positively ecstatic that all of you are here, including your..."

I think he was about to say 'guests', but as he's finishing his sentence, he stops and begins to take a more detailed look at all of us, and I quickly realize the issue; close to half of my companions are dragons. Now, considering that he is acquainted with Lilina and knew Lord Hector very well, I assume that he isn't overly concerned, but that doesn't mean that the general public won't be anxious about it. Most likely, they'll start revolting. I can't believe none of us thought of this! We may have to leave, and that would really be unfortunate, but if there's no other choice...

"Wow, lots of you are... dragons, I see," Cormag comments, his eyes wide with curiosity. "I've only fought against them, but to actually meet them in person..."

Cormag closes his eyes and rubs his temples with an extremely guilty look on his face. What could he be thinking?

"I feel like a hypocrite saying this," he starts, "but I've only seen dragons as enemies to be slaughtered... I'm really sorry. I heard the whole story about the war and the previous one 20 or so years ago, but I still can't get this prejudice out of my head. I've been trying for years to change how I view them. If you would all be so kind... and to help me change my opinion of all of you..."

Okay, I didn't expect that. Cormag's comments leave everyone speechless, and no one can think of anything to say, and all is silent until light sobbing echoes around us. I look around to find out who it is, and I'm surprised to see it's Pyra who's crying into her hands, and she slowly walks up to a somewhat astonished Cormag and starts to cry into his shoulder. "You poor thing," she laments, sniffling. "I can sense just how guilty you feel. Please, don't be upset with yourself anymore. I don't blame you. I'll do anything I can to help..."

I have to give credit to Pyra; she really _is_ sweet and compassionate when she wants to be. I've seen it from her multiple times, but I can still never believe it. This person we just met has basically said he hates dragons and sees them as not worth living, and yet she still wants to help him get over this viewpoint of his. Her actions right now, they make me can't help but smile; I'm honoured to call her my friend.

"Wait! Don't cry! Fa will make you feel better!"

Now little Fa pushes her way up to Cormag and Pyra before hugging one of each of their legs together, saying, "Fa wants to see everyone happy! Can't everybody be friends?"

At this point, the entire group of us pushes in towards Cormag into a giant group hug. To my knowledge, there is absolutely no reason why we are doing this.

"Uh, I think I get the point," Cormag mentions, and just as quickly as it started, the giant group hug disintegrates as he chuckles to himself. "You're all a tight-knit group, aren't you? I'm sure that all of us will get along just fine. After you enter the castle, I won't be seeing you guys until the night of the wedding. My duty is to keep out anyone suspicious... with the exception of you, of course. The courtyard guards, Wendy, Bors, and Barth, will filter most people, but I still have to pay attention."

Bowing and motioning his hand to signify that we are free to enter, we start walking, but immediately after, Cormag appears in front of us in a flash of wind to block our path. It was quite cool to watch, but I wonder what he has to say to us. "I almost forgot; most of the guests will _not_ like the notion of dragons attending this party. So those of you with your wings out, you'll have to put them away."

Turns out that my earlier guess was correct about the public. Only Janani, Pyra, and Tarif were holding their wings out for display anyway, but Tarif can't hide his wings like normal dragons can, and he left his cloak back in Arcadia. I'm not sure why it's only him who has this problem, but either way, it isn't helping us now, even though it's not his fault. Pyra and Janani put their wings away, and Cormag watches and waits for Tarif to follow suite, but obviously, Tarif doesn't hide his.

"I can't hide mine..." Tarif mumbles, "and I'm not sure if I'll even be able to handle the crowds... I'm not a huge fan of them... so maybe I'll just..."

"That will _not_ do, Tarif!" Pyra exclaims, startling everyone, including Cormag. Suddenly, she pulls Tarif a couple of feet away from us, and starts scolding him: "Tarif, you should not remove yourself from the fun for everyone else's sake! I know for a _fact_ that you have no problem with crowds! We'll find a way for you to get in! If you don't go, you won't be able to dance with Sophia, you'll lose her to Wolt, and you won't eventually become her boyfriend!"

Concerning Pyra's comment, Sophia lightly gasps, Wolt's eyes widen, Tarif blushes with fierce intensity, and I just groan; clearly, Pyra is not aware that she barely moved away from us at all and that everybody in the vicinity can hear her, including everyone involved in the now-apparent love triangle. And it doesn't even sound like she's done yet...

"Tomato, wouldn't you like to kiss her someday?..."

Even Tarif starts to groan at Pyra's alluding words. Rubbing his hands into his face to seemingly hide his blush and embarrassment, he mumbles to her, "Um, everyone can hear you..."

Pyra turns toward the shocked crowd behind her, (meaning us) and now _her_ face starts to gingerly redden, which is a first for me; in all the time I've known her, I've never seen Pyra get embarrassed. I don't believe this opportunity will ever come again, or at least anytime soon! "I'm so sorry!" Pyra apologizes, and she hugs Tarif tenderly in her arms. "I thought we were farther away! I'll do anything to make it up to you! Please forgive me..."

"Um, if I may interject," Cormag interrupts out of the blue, "while I may not be able to help concerning the... women troubles, I can help... Tarif, wasn't it? To hide his wings. I have shoulder armor that can easily hold his wings in place without hurting them; I can give you access to where I keep it. I'm already wearing a pair right now, so don't worry about me. But just for now, you can wear my cape. Until you find another cape to wear over that armor, you can borrow mine."

Cormag unties the impressively sleek black cape from his back and tosses it to Tarif, who just barely catches it. When Tarif is done putting on the cape, he actually smiles at himself; it really looks good on him. It seems to work well with his slight frame. "Thank you... very much. It looks great."

"You're welcome, I guess," Cormag awkwardly replies, scratching the back of his head. "Maybe I'll get the 'hating dragons pegasus' off my back quicker than I thought. It might take a while, especially since I'm out here by myself, but I think everything will be okay..."

"Do you... maybe want some company?" Janani asks coyly, and I raise my eyebrow in surprise; she hasn't said a word this entire time, and _now_ she speaks up? "It probably gets a little lonely out here, doesn't it?"

The expression on Cormag's face suggests that he is having a hard time deciding on how to answer, but eventually, he nods his head in agreement. Satisfied, Janani gives us all a little wave, smiling to herself, and everybody gets the hint that it is time to go; she wants to talk with Cormag alone.

As we walk away, Pyra whispers to me, "I guess Janani is crushing on Cormag! He is dashing, to say the least." Smirking mischievously, she continues, "Looks like my work is never done! There should be some paper in the castle to write sweet, mushy notes on, right?"

* * *

Author's Notes

Wow, I didn't mention Idoun in this chapter at all. Don't worry; she'll be quite prominent in the next bunch! We need to strengthen her relationship with Roy!

Today's guest is Cormag Ravenstaff! Weeks and weeks ago, I had a fun little idea to write cameos of each other into each other's stories. So on that note, everybody check out his story, **The Swordmaster!** It's not even a romance, and yet, I LOVE it! Can you believe that? If I loved it, you'll probably love it too! It's very well done for a first fic, and it keeps getting better and better, too! If you are reading this IN THE FUTURE, check out any other fics that he may have written IN THE FUTURE! I'm sure they will be great as well!

Another note of incentive for you, perhaps? He's got a cameo of me in his story! So if you want to see a bad-ass cameo of me, (everything about me is made up, but who cares? It's still great!) read and review his story! Drop me some reviews too, as well as the piece of cake from that 'thank goodness he's gone' party I mentioned last chapter. :D Hey! Cormag! I REALLY hope I did you justice based on what we discussed in our PMs! It seems your lucky girlfriend is going to be Janani! I'll look more into these two in chapter 13 or 14. We're going to be in Ostia for a while! Heck, the entire WEDDING is going to last at least two chapters!

It would be cool to meet someone like Pyra in real life. Too bad she completely blew the secret! Now things are going to get VERY interesting!

Just a note about requests: I'm never going to tell anybody when I write them. So if you requested a pairing, I approved it, and then wonder what I did with it, check the **My Requests** section of my profile. If it's not there, that means I wrote it and you didn't see it, so check my list of uploaded stories for it. If it's still there, I haven't written it yet! There's no order to when I write each one, so be patient if it's been a long time! If you find the story you requested, let me know what you thought! Feedback is crucial for these types of things!

Well, time to write a new story and a request, though not necessarily in that order. I think a goal of mine will be to write one request in between chapters of AGOH, but I still want to write my own stuff too! Hope you guys are looking forward to all this!


	19. Chapter 12x: Day on the Town

Chapter 12x: Day on the Town

After depositing all of our stuff into our guest rooms, Pyra has the idea to go explore the city; it's only high noon, and there's only so much you can do in a castle. A change of scenery (civilization that doesn't involve simply passing through, unlike the majority of the trip) might do us some good. Wolt and Tarif haven't said anything to each other, and Sophia's quiet as a mouse too. The hope is that something we do will allow them to start talking without feeling awkward.

Janani is still talking to Cormag, Tavia decided to stay back, and everyone else is still where they were before, so it's me, Pyra, Idoun, Sophia, Tarif, Wolt, and Fa walking into the marketplace for lunch. Thankfully, we have lots of gold we can afford to spend; people in the villages we visited on the way here were extremely generous to us. It also allows us to buy some gifts. I should send something to my father back in Pherae, as well as my grandmother. Rebecca would probably want something too...

"Hey! Everybody! Look over here!" Pyra shouts, waving at us to get our attention. She's pointing to a sign that reads:

"_**Free dancing lessons! Learn how to impress your sweetheart! See inside for details!"**_

Just beside the sign is a large hall of sorts, and so Pyra motions for us to wait for her. As she runs inside, I observe what everyone in our group is doing. Fa is running around with some other kids that look her age, even if they're thousands of years younger, and Wolt and Tarif are finally speaking to each other; thankfully without any sign of malice in their conversation; as Sophia simply watches the two boys in concern...

But, where's Idoun?

"Idoun!" I call, hoping to maybe direct her back, but it doesn't seem to work. After waiting for a bit, I go look for her, passing through the various bazaars and stands with increasing worry. A large city like this, who knows what could happen?

As it turns out, nothing. I find her sitting down and listening to a local storyteller under an umbrella, clearly fascinated by what she saying. Deciding to listen myself, I sit down beside Idoun, who's actually too enamoured to notice that I'm there. By simply glancing in Idoun's direction, I recognize the emotion in her eyes: longing. What is she longing for? What kind of tale is this storyteller relating to make Idoun feel this way?

"So he took her by the hands, and into his arms, and he said to her... 'be mine'," the storyteller relates, gesturing her arms extravagantly into a self-hug. Sighing peacefully, she continues, "The fair-skinned maiden was overjoyed at the prince's declaration of love, despite their differences. After they shared the kiss of true love, they got married and lived happily ever after, their love never wavering throughout the test of time."

The storyteller bows, and Idoun lightly claps at the end of the story, her face filled with wonder and awe. I can see that the storyteller is satisfied with her result, because she says, "I'm so glad you enjoyed that. It's a favourite of mine as well. It takes me back to when my husband proposed to me years ago. Clearly, my story is horribly exaggerated compared to how it actually went," she giggles, covering her mouth, "but it still makes me smile."

"Thank you for entertaining Idoun," I reply, searching through my pocket for some gold to give her. "It seems she absolutely loved your story. She's actually been somewhat curious as to what the notion of love is, and this is her first time away from home in a long time, so this must have been a real treat for her."

I find some gold to give to the storyteller, but she hands it back to me, winking and waving her finger in a 'no-no' action, much like Pyra usually does. "Don't worry about it. This one's on me. Just you hearing it is reward enough for me. I believe in making people's dreams come true."

I'm shocked by this woman's generosity, but I accept it nonetheless, bowing respectfully. "Thank you very much then," I respond, and the storyteller starts to pack up her umbrella to leave.

"You're very welcome, _Prince_ Roy," she says back, clearly stressing my title in her response. How does she know who I am? It's also a very strange thing that she did by saying 'prince' so articulately, but before I can think about it, Idoun sneezes, interrupting my thoughts.

"Gusundheit."

"Gu... sin... huh?" Idoun tries to articulate, but failing, she laughs at her attempt at speaking the word. "That's... um..."

While it's true that Idoun has been improving slowly in her speech, especially in the last couple of weeks, her comprehension of words and figuring out which ones to use is still very hard for her. "Difficult?" I suggest, and she nods.

"Extremely," I add. "Pyra's probably looking for us. We should head back."

Idoun nods again, and we slowly start to walk back to the large hall where Pyra is. As we near the hall, however, Fa and her horde of new friends accidentally plow through us, and we end up on the ground, Idoun lying on top of me with her face inches away from mine. I lightly blush at the awkward position, but the embarrassing situation only seems to make Idoun smile, almost as if she enjoys the close proximity.

Honestly, though, as long as she's smiling, it's not a problem at all in my eyes. Not in the slightest.

* * *

"All right, everybody grab their sweetheart! Is your sweetheart not here? No worries! Just pair up with another person who needs a partner!"

The vibrant dancing instructor twirls around in place as the entire class looks for partners. Wolt ends up pairing up with Sophia, I end up with Idoun, and Fa pairs up with one of her new friends, much to the amusement of his fellow peers. He doesn't seem to mind, though, and neither does Fa.

However, where did Tarif go? Wouldn't he go to Sophia first? Did she turn him down? And where's Pyra?

"I let Wolt... go after her," someone mumbles behind me, and I turn to a somewhat downtrodden Tarif. "He's known her for much longer than I have... and look at them now. She doesn't seem upset."

Upset would be the last word to describe Sophia at this point. She looks really content at Wolt's side, actually, and the two of them have already started getting into position to start dancing.

I'm kind of annoyed that Tarif gave up so easily on Sophia. He doesn't want anyone to get hurt, so he just appeases everyone while hurting himself in the process. Not to mention, he's left without a partner.

Although, that problem seems to solve itself very quickly; a large group of young women, probably about a year or two older than I am, attach themselves to Tarif. Apparently, none of them have a partner, and they all want Tarif to fill that role... however, it also seems they are legitimately interested in him, because they are literally all over him now, shouting various things:

"He's so cute and innocent!"

"_Uh... excuse me..."_

"So tall and handsome! Not many of those guys around here!"

"_Um... hello..."_

"AWW! He's blushing! How adorable!"

"_Would you... ah..."_

I pick out the hesitant, barely audible voice as coming from a small girl on the outside of the group. This girl is similar to Tarif in personality, it seems, as well as in size and body shape, other than the fact that she is much, much shorter than he is. Her turquoise hair is short, except for the bangs that constantly threaten to cover up her eyes. And after I notice her... I'll say 'interesting' white dress, covered in big red polka dots, every sense of logic would indicate that this girl is as young as Fa, if Fa was a normal girl, anyway.

"Fayette, get away!" one of the girls yells, shooing away the young girl. "You may be the same age as us, but no one would want an underdeveloped girl like you! Leave this boy to someone more worthy of his approval, like _me!_"

While saying 'me', the aggressive girl flaunts her body, especially her chest, in pride, which causes Fayette, who's apparently the same age, to lower her head in shame. And sadly, there's some truth to the aggressor's statement; she is very easy to look at. Her voluptuousness rivals that of Pyra's. It would be the same as if I compared myself to the late Lord Hector when he was my age. I've seen portraits; he would make me look like a wimp.

"Whoa!"

The girl unintentionally trips on another girl's leg, making everyone topple over onto the ground. The fall accidentally knocks off Tarif's borrowed cape, revealing his wings to the entire group of girls. One by one, the girls start to scream, afraid of what they are seeing.

"AHH!"

"AIEEEE!"

"We have to get out of here! He's a dragon! He's going to kill us!"

I seriously doubt Tarif could even kill anybody if he tried, but that's not obvious to the girls running away, including the girl doing the mocking. The only one left is this Fayette girl, wide eyed and concerned over what just happened. Is she not afraid of Tarif? On the contrary, she actually kneels down to Tarif's side and whispers but a single word, a question, out loud:

"...brother?"

* * *

Author's Notes

Eh wot? I was quoting Toadsworth there. :D Can you believe all the suspicious developments going on here?! Fayette is French for "Little Fairy", which will make more sense later on.

You thought I was going to pair her with Tarif, didn't ya? Actually, I almost did, (before I decided she was his sister, or so she says...) but then I realized that I would be destroying my dreams of his future pairing with the girl whom he will (eventually) be worthy for. Speaking of which, what the heck is going on, giving up Sophia so easily? You're too passive, Tomato! Pick it up! GET YOUR SWEETHEART BACK! Sheech, I'm starting to yell at my own characters...

I've been questioning some parts of my story lately. Overall, things have lightened up considerably since chapter seven, and more of the story is concentrating on others, not Roy and Idoun like it should be. Anyone have any thoughts on this? It's not really a bad thing, but it's certainly changed the tone of the story entirely. I can't really change anything now, but I wonder if anyone has thought about it.

Oh yeah, once again, if you haven't checked it out yet, check out **The Swordmaster** by Cormag Ravenstaff, who's currently getting it on with Janani! (maybe years from now :p) There's an epic (made up, yet awesomely amazing) cameo of me in the story, and it's a great read! It's finished now, so you don't have to worry that he'll never finish the story like some other losers have! :p It's true, some have extenuating circumstances, which is perfectly fine, but others just give up. (seriously, people?) There's also a sidestory to the story written by King35763 to check out as well!

Hey! If anyone believes they have what it takes to make a sidestory or rewrite of any of my fics, go for it! I'll check it out!

Can you say "foreshadowing"? :p Our saga with Roy and Idoun shall continue eventually, during the wedding we've been waiting months for! I must write a request and more of Mutual Respect first! Who's pairing shall I take on next... it could be YOURS! If the PRICE IS RIGHT!


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